THE
QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
VOLUME III
MARCH, 1902-DECEMBER, 1902
EDITED BY FREDERIC GEORGE YOUNG
W. H. LEEDS, STATE PRINTER
SALEM, OREGON
\ •
\o\. \
V
871.
0*7.
CONTENTS.
SUBJECT INDEX.
PAGE
Across the Continent Seventy Years Ago (compiled from the papers of John
Ball). Kate N. B. Powers 82-100
American Fur Trade in the Far West, The. Hiram Martin Chittenden.
(Reviewed) - 260-270
Archives of Oregon, The. F. G. Young 371-389
Astoria Taken Possession of by Captain James Biddleon Behalf of the
United States, August 19, 1818. (Document) 310-311
Ball, John (compiled from his papers: "Across the Continent Seventy Years
Ago"). Kate N. B. Powers * _: 82-106
Barlow Road, History of the. Mary S. Barlow 71- 81
Brown, Grandma (Mrs. Tabitha), Recollections of. Jane Kinney Smith-— 287-295
•
Burnett, Peter H., Letters of 398-426
Cavalry, The First Oregon. Frances Fuller Victor 123-163
Columbia River, Documents Relating to the Taking Possession of the Post
and Territory at the Mouth of the. James Biddle 310-311
Conquest, The — True Story of Lewis and Clark. E. E. Dye, reviewed 427-428
Factory, The Origin and History of the Willamette Woolen. L. E. Pratt— 248-259
Fur Trade, The American in the Far West. Hiram Martin Chittenden.
(Reviewed) 260-270
Geography and History (extract from lecture by George L. Hillard, 1845) __ .312-313
Historian of the Northwest, Frances Fuller Victor. William A. Morris 429-434
Holden, Horace, Recollections of. H. S. Lyman 164-217
Husbandry, Sheep, in Oregon. John Minto 219-247
Iowa, The Oregon Meeting in. (Document) 390-393
Jory, James, Reminiscences of. H. S. Lyman 271-286
Kentucky, The, Memorial. (Document) 393-394
Letter of Tallmadge B. Wood 394-398
Letters of Peter H. Burnett 398-426
Lewis and Clark, "The Conquest,"— The True Story of. E. E. Dye. (Re-
viewed) 427-428
Memorial, The Kentucky 393-394
Northwest, Historian of the. William A. Morris 429-434
Oregon, The, Archives. F. G. Young 371-389
iv SUBJECT INDEX.
PAGE
Oregon, The First, Cavalry. Frances Fuller Victor 123-163
Oregon ^Central Railroad, The. Joseph Gaston 315-326
Oregon, Political History of, from 1865 to 1876. William D. Fenton 38- 70
Oregon, Political History of, from 1876 to 1895, inclusive. M. C. George 107-122
Oregon Meeting in Iowa. (Document) 390-393
Oregon, History of the Press of, 1839-1850. George H. Himes 327-370
Oregon, Pioneer Land of Promise. (Document) 311-312
Oregon, Sheep Husbandry in. John Minto 219-247
Oregon, The Social Evolution of. J. B. Robertson I- 37
Political History of Oregon from 1865 to 1876. William D. Fenton 38- 70
Political History of Oregon from 1876 to 1895, inclusive. M. C. George 107-122
Press, History of, of Oregon, 1839-1850. George H. Himes 327-370
Railroad, The Oregon Central. Joseph Gaston 315-326
Recollections of Grandma (Mrs. Tabitha) Brown. Jane Kiniiey Smith 287-295
Recollections of Horace Holden. H. S. Lyman 164-217
Reminiscences of James Jory. H. S. Lyman __271-286
Reminiscences of Daniel Knight Warren 296-309
Road, The Barlow. Mary S. Barlow 71- 81
Sheep Husbandry in Oregon. John Minto 219-247
Social Evolution of Oregon, The. J. R. Robertson 1-37
Victor, Frances Fuller, "The Historian of the Northwest." William A.
Morris 429-434
Willamette Woolen Factory, The Origin and History of. L. E. Pratt 248-259
Warren, Daniel Knight, Reminiscences of. H. S. Lyman 296-309
Wood, Tallmadge B., Letter of 394-398
AUTHOR'S INDEX.
AUTHORS' INDEX.
PAGE
Barlow, Mary 8.— History of the Barlow Road 71- 81
x, Biddle, Captain James — Reports Taking Possession of Both Shores of the
Columbia August 19, 1818 . 310-311
Burnett, Peter H.— Letters of, to the New York Herald 398-426
Chittenden, Hiram Martin— "The American Fur Trade in the Far West."
(Reviewed) 2(50-270
Dye, Eva Emery — "The Conquest — The True Story of Lewis and Clark."
(Reviewed) 427-428
Fenton, William D.— Political History of Oregon from 1865 to 1876 38- 70
Gaston, Joseph — The Oregon Central Railroad 315-326
George, M. C. — Political History of Oregon from 1876 to 1895, inclusive 107-122
"Jlillard, George £.— The Connection Between Geography and History, 1845-312-313
Himes, George H.— The History of the Press of Oregon, 1839-1850 327-370
Lynian, Horace S. — Recollections of Grandma (Mrs. Tabitha) Brown, se-
cured from Jane Kinney Smith 287-295
Lyman, Horace 8.— Reminiscenses of Horace Holden .164-217
Lyman, Horace S.— Reminiscences of James .Tory 271-286
Lyman, Horace S.— Reminiscences of Daniel Knight Warren 296-309
Minto, John — Sheep Husbandry in Oregon 219-247
Morris, William A.— The Historian of the Northwest — Frances Fuller
Victor 429-434
Powers, Kate N. B.~ Across the Continent Seventy Years Ago — Compiled
from the Papers of John Ball 82-106
Pratt, L. E.— The Origin and History of the Willamette Woolen Factory —248-259
Robertson, James Rood — The Social Evolution of Oregon 1- 37
Victor, Frances Fuller — " The American Fur Trade in the Far West."
(Reviewed) -260-270
Victor, Frances Fuller — The First Oregon Cavalry 123-163
Wood, Tallmadge B— Letter of -394-398
Young, Frederic George — The Archives of Oregon —371-389
Young, Frederic George— "The Conquest." (Reviewed) 427-428
VOLUME III] MARCH, 19O2 [NUMBER 1
THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
Although Oregon is but thinly populated, clearly de-
fined stages in its development are apparent and may be
marked out from the facts already well authenticated.
These facts may be grouped in various ways according
to the purpose of the writer, but it is evident that the
"Social Evolution" of Oregon must be primarily a ques-
tion of industrial evolution, and the facts must be grouped
accordingly.
The acquisition of a livelihood is the motive xwhich
operates most powerfully in bringing population together
in sufficient numbers to create a social organization of
any kind ; it is the motive which holds the population
together and renders possible that adaptation to environ-
ment and integration of elements which result in the
various institutions of social life. While industry is in
no sense the most important feature of social life, it is,
nevertheless, the thing which lies most nearly at .the
foundation. It bears to the social organism the same rela-
JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
tion that the skeleton does to the animal. The industrial
growth of a community depends upon the opportunities
presented for the making of a livelihood and the other
features of social life, however varied their character or
high their aim, depend upon the number and character
of the population that is attracted.
A study of the social evolution, therefore, must lead to
a study of the physical features of the locality ; to the
causes which lead to the discovery of its resources ; to
the characteristics and standards of life of the popula-
tion that congregates ; to the adaptation of population
to environment and the integration into community life.
Location relative to other centers of population, abund-
ance and variety of resources, character, and standards
of life in the population are all to be taken into consid-
eration. The study of social evolution is also one of
constant change. The elements of social life are con-
tinually shifting with relation to one another. New
resources are always being discovered ; more popula-
tion is attracted to a locality ; resources and population
react upon one another in various ways ; population is
changed with relation to other centers by new facilities
of communication; forceful individuals initiate far-reach-
ing changes and unforeseen events bring into action pow-
erful impulses to development.
In the social evolution of Oregon, locality alone has
been responsible for much. Wide separation from the
older centers of population has produced that slowness
of growth and consequent spirit of conservatism which
have characterized the development. Distance also has
led in some degree to a sifting of the population. It has
brought the vigorous and strong and eliminated the weak.
It has kept away much of the foreign European popula-
tion that has found readier access to the East and the
states of the Mississippi Valley.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 3
Climate and abundance of resource have rendered the
population of Oregon free from much of that conflict
with nature which the settlers of less favored regions
have been obliged to experience. Variety of resource
has rendered possible that social balance which comes
from the constant interplay of a population engaged in
different occupations and the compensating action of a
city and a country population. A population composed
of the sturdy stock of New England and the vigorous
frontier settlers of the Middle West has brought to the
social life elements of strength.
Location, abundance, and variety of resource have also
brought their problems. The elimination of the foreign
classes from Europe has deprived the population of a
factor very valuable in the development of a new country
because of the ability to do work of a burdensome kind
that the American shuns. The abundance of resource
and the ease of gaining a mere livelihood leads to the
problem of a population too easily satisfied and lacking
in ambition. Variety has tempted a superficial develop-
ment of many rather than a thorough development of a
few resources ; and, lastly, the conditions that bring a
population of the sturdiest kind bring also a class of
adventurers who injure rather than aid in the social evo-
lution .
The largest place in this paper must naturally be given
to the industrial development, since that lies at the foun-
dation of all social evolution. The industrial life of
Oregon began with the discovery of its resources. Up
to the time that the American colonies began to aspire to
separate existence the resources of the whole Northwest
were practically unknown. It is true, the explorers of
different European nations had passed the coast at in-
tervals for centuries ; but they were interested only
in looking for that indenture in the shore line which
4 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
would promise them a waterway connection between the
Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Not until Captain Cook,
engaged in the more careful exploration of the coast in
1778, do we catch glimpses of any real appreciation of the
resources of the country itself. Among many interest-
ing geographical discoveries, he made observations which
were to be of greatest importance in the development of
the Northwest. The abundance of the fur bearing sea
animals along the coast and the islands attracted his
attention, as well as that of his crew. The fine furs
brought from the interior by the Indians were an indica-
tion of an equally valuable supply within the country.
The natives preferred the gaudy beads and trinkets, and
were willing to exchange the most valuable furs for
things of little value. Cook and his crew had learned
of the esteem in which the Chinese held the furs, and the
human mind was not slow in projecting a business enter-
prise which would offer a handsome return.1
The crew that served under Cook became more anxious
to engage in the fur trade than to continue the explora-
tion. Especially enthusiastic was one of their number,
an American by nationality. John Ledyard was a native
of Connecticut, but had joined the English exploring
party because of his love of adventure. The profits to
be derived from the fur trade of the Northwest had
appealed to him with great force.2 He continued for
two years after the return of Cook's expedition in the
British naval service, then deserted from a man-of-war
stationed in Long Island Sound. He went from one to
another of the moneyed centers of the United States to
interest men of capital in the enterprise. In New York
he was coldly received, and his proposal was treated as
1 Grreenhow's History of Oregon and California.
-Sparks' Life of John Ledyard.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 5
the dream of a visionary mind. In Philadelphia his
welcome was more cordial, and the great banker, Rob-
ert Morris, would have sent a vessel to engage in the
trade had not financial embarrassments prevented. In
Boston the merchants were favorably impressed but not
yet ready to act. Indeed, it was a matter to warrant
careful consideration. It was a venture that required
capital and that moral courage which risks the loss of
all in the effort to win reward. There were dangers
to be met from the sea, disease, and the hostility of
Indians. Failing at last to secure the encouragement
of American capital Ledyard went to Europe upon the
same mission. In France he was encouraged by a com-
pany, but only to be again disappointed. The revolution-
ary hero, Paul Jones, cordially favored the enterprise and
agreed to join in an expedition which also failed. Jeffer-
son, the representative of the American Confederation in
Paris, gave intelligent and sympathetic support to the
enterprise, and kept the subject in 'mind long after Led-
yard had perished. Failing in every effort to win the
support of capital, Ledyard accepted a suggestion of Jef-
ferson and started to cross Europe and Asia, with the
purpose of reaching the shore of the Pacific Coast and
exploring the country to the Mississippi River. Captured
by Russian officers when nearly across Siberia, he was ex-
pelled from the country and entered the service of African
exploration, where he perished. To the expedition of
Captain Cook therefore, and particularly to the enthusi-
asm of that American member of his crew, the world
owes its first knowledge of the resources of Oregon and
the Northwest.3
The Russians were best fitted by nature and position
to avail themselves immediately of the fur resources.
,3 Report of Cook was published 1784.
6 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
They already knew the value of the business from expe-
rience along their own shores and now extended their
operations to the American coast. Vessels from England
and a few from other European nations also entered the
trade, inspired by the reports from the crew of Cook.
The English predominated, but were embarrassed by the
monopoly of the Oriental ports, given to the East India
Company by England. Gradually the others dropped
out and the development of the maritime fur trade was
left to the little nation which had just entered upon its
national life.
Among the merchants of Boston were some who had
for years been interested in the trade with China. The
breaking out of the Revolutionary War had interrupted
the trade, and it had just begun to be renewed. Embar-
rassed by the lack of products, which were acceptable to
the Chinese in exchange for their own products, they had
been obliged to send specie to settle the balances. Of
especial interest, therefore, would be the discovery of a
product which could be used to further the business
already begun. They were accustomed to meet in social
intercourse, and generally the conversation would turn
to the explorations of Cook and the prospects of the fur
trade of the Northwest. When at length the undertak-
ing seemed feasible, six of the merchants furnished the
capital necessary to send two vessels to the Northwest
coast to engage in the trade.4 A silver medal was struck
to commemorate the occasion, and under the command
of Captains Robert Gray and John Kendricks the "Lady
Washington" and the "Columbia" started out upon their
memorable and significant voyage in 1787 .5
After the first trip the representations of Ledyard were
4 J. Barrell, S. Brown, C. Bulfinch, J. Darby, C. Hatch, J. M. Pintard.
5Greenhow's History of Oregon and California.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 7
vindicated. Cargoes of fur were gathered up along the
coast at a trifling sum and taken to the market at Canton,
where they were sold at a high price. Vessels loading
for the return with the teas, silks, and spices of China,
carried them to the markets of Europe and America, net-
ting sometimes as high as one thousand per cent upon
the capital invested.
All along the coast from Alaska to California the ves-
sels touched and gathered their rich harvest of furs.
Stopping at customary points along the shore, the mer-
chants' goods were displayed upon the deck of the vessel
and the Indians came out in their canoes to make their
exchanges. Skirting along the coast in this way, the
merchant vessels of New England carried off the resources
of Oregon to add to the enjoyments of the social life of
the East. Though the early merchants did not establish
themselves within the country nor attempt to further
settlement, they were the stimulus which acted as the
forerunner of a social life for Oregon. The superficial
resources were utilized, and the more latent ones would
be sure to be discovered. Their operations extended far
to the north of the Oregon coast and far to the south,
but they had seen Oregon, and a bond of connection
had been established that was to make New England a
prominent factor in the social evolution. From that
connection were to spring important results. Forceful
individuals at critical times came from the population of
New England to further the life of Oregon, and her rep-
resentatives in congress were more outspoken in the
interests of a region in which they had an interest.
In another direction the same impulse that had led to
the maritime fur trade was to make known the interior
resources of the country and inspire to a change in the
fur trading methods. Greater permanency was given to
them, and the center of fur trading operation was located
8 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
within the boundaries of Oregon. Jefferson had remem-
bered the conversations with Ledyard ; he, too, had
become an enthusiast, not alone in the trade of the
Northwest, but even more in the geographical problems
that were connected with it. Unable at first to interest
explorers in the enterprise, he was able, when he be-
came president, to realize a long cherished desire. It
was his influence, therefore, that set in motion an expedi-
tion to explore the interior of the country. At the same
time that the English were pushing to the west in the
northern latitudes Lewis and Clark were commissioned
•
•
to explore the Louisiana territory, and to continue their
journey to the Pacific Ocean. Successful in their mis-
sion, the year 1805 found them in winter camp at Clatsop
beach busily engaged in writing the notes of their expe-
dition, which was to give to the world for the first time
its knowledge of the basin of the Columbia.6 This was
another stimulus to the development of Oregon. Soon
renewed efforts were made to utilize the fur trade in a
manner more thorough. The profits of the maritime
trade, though still great, were declining. The methods
pursued were wasteful of the animal life. A better
method was necessary if the fur resources were to be
conserved and be the aid, which they had promised to
be, in the trade with China.
In this new development of resources Boston was to
give place to New York. The effort of Nathan Winship
to establish a trading post within the country, some dis-
tance from the mouth of the Columbia, was unsuccessful,
and John Jacob Astor was destined to lead in the further
development. A German by birth, he was an American
by residence and interest. A fur trader by instinct, he
loved the very smell and feeling of the furs. Largely
6 Journal of Lewis and Clark.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 9
interested in the trade to the east of the mountains, pos-
sessed of abundance of capital, endowed with great abil-
ity in organization, he was well fitted for an enterprise of
such great magnitude and boldness. In partnership with
other fur men he organized the Pacific Fur Company, the
first important enterprise to utilize the resources of Oregon
from the interior of the country. A fort was established
at Astoria in 1811, and plans were made for the develop-
ment of the business. As a business undertaking it was
well conceived. The monopolistic methods of the com-
pany would best conserve the fur product, which the older
methods were fast exterminating. Connection with the
operations east of the mountains would give a continu-
ous trade across the country. Accessibility to the Pacific
Coast would insure the trade with China. The Russian
traders to the north had expressed a willingness to pur-
chase supplies from the fort at Astoria. Everything
seemed favorable for a successful business. Unforeseen
events, however, led to failure. The breaking out of the
War of 1812 resulted in the appearance of an English
vessel before the fort at Astoria; but a sale of the fort and
the possessions of the company had already been made to
a rival, the English Northwest Fur Company, and what
had promised so well ended in failure.7 Mr. Astor re-
fused to renew the enterprise unless the United States
government would guarantee protection.8 As this could
not be brought about, because of political complications,
the fur trade of the Northwest fell into the hands of the
English, who managed to keep control as long as the fur
resource formed the prevailing industrial life of Oregon.
Various heroic attempts, both by individuals and com-
panies, were made to regain the trade for the Americans,
' Astor's letter to J. Q. Adams in 1823.
slrving's Astoria.
10 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
or at least to win an equal share, but they were all un-
successful. Consolidation of the two rival English fur
companies in 1821 under the name of the Hudson Bay
Company was the crowning act of the fur trading period.
With a capital of $400,000, and a comprehensive charter
from the English government, it virtually possessed the
trade of the whole region.9 There can be little doubt
that the consolidation was a master in the line of busi-
ness in which it engaged. Removing its headquarters
from Astoria to Vancouver it erected forts at the strategic
points and soon had within its grasp the entire trade of
the basin of the Columbia. Monopolistic in its methods,
it was responsible for much of the irritation that marks
the early industrial life of Oregon. Its success, however,
must be attributed as much to the superiority of its in-
dustrial organization and management. In the preser-
vation of order, in the treatment of the native races, in
control of its difficult set of employees, in conservation
of the fur trading resources, it has probably never been
surpassed in the history of the fur trade.
The Hudson Bay Company was an enterprise in which
the business interests predominated. Its officers were
engaged in developing the resources of a country, wild
and remote, because it offered a profit both for them-
selves and the stockholders who lived in England. The
other interests of a social life were incidental rather
than essential. A population was brought into the coun-
try, but it was small in number and incapable of being
molded into anything but a social life that resembled
the feudal society of an earlier period in Europe. The
gap between the elements of population was great.
Among the officers were men fitted to grace the social
9 Act of parliament, 1821. In Appendix to Greenhow's History of Oregon and
California.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 11
life of any community, while among the employees were
reckless characters unfit for any other life than one based
upon absolute authority and autocratic rule. Most nu-
merous were the Indian races whose life was undisturbed
and whose social standards affected everything about
them. The company was interested that such a social
life should be continued in the interests of the business,
and that a region capable of sustaining a large popula-
tion should be kept a vast hunting ground fit to support
only the few who lived within it and the stockholders
whose interest in the region ended with the payment of
their dividends. A society of another kind, however,
would have been out of place where the fur trading com-
pany was in harmony with the surroundings. It was a
social and industrial life well adapted to the conditions
and did its part in the process of evolution. It will
always furnish an interesting period to the student of
Oregon history, as it is reviewed with something of the
halo which the imagination throws about it. Its place
in the industrial evolution is fixed because of its utiliza-
tion of a superficial resource, but it is fortunate that it
gave place in good time to other industries and other
forms of social life that were better and higher.
As the product of the fur bearing animals was the de-
termining influence in the first phase of Oregon's social
life, the agricultural resources were the determining in-
fluence in that of the second. The transition was one
from a superficial resource to one more latent, — from an
industry adapted to the support of a small population to
one capable of supporting large numbers. The transi-
tion was so gradual that for years the two industries
existed side by side, the one gaining while the other was
losing its hold upon the community. The transition was
a period of conflict, as the sources of Oregon's early his-
tory bear ample evidence. The interpreter of the sources,
12 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
however, must, with every year, give less of place to what
the earlier historians felt was most important. Periods
of conflict in the broad view of social growth are as stimu-
lating and vital to social progress as they are annoying
to those who had to undergo the experiences. Conscious
efforts were made to discourage the immigration by the
creation of impressions unfavorable to the resources of
the country and its accessibility. Immigrants already
on the way were skillfully diverted wherever possible,
and wagons were laid aside at the advice of interested
officers of the company.
Efforts to conceal the agricultural resources of the
region, however, were of no avail. The fitness of the
country for agriculture and the abode of population was
destined to be revealed. Everything was tending to
make it known. Speeches in congress might reveal an
ignorance that would lead to a sacrifice of the country,
but other forces were stronger in the opposite direction.
The well kept farm of the fur company in the valley of
the Cowlitz, adjoining the fort, was itself a demonstra-
tion of what could be done. Under the direction of the
old Scotch gardener the soil of Oregon produced as re-
sponsively as the better known soil of the Royal Gardens
at Kew, where he had learned his art. The settlement
of the company's ex-employees upon the French Prairie
was another proof. The well kept farms of the mission-
aries, both of the Willamette Valley and east of the
mountains, were further indication. The world might
not hear of the former, but it was bound to know of the
latter. From many sources the news was spread. Let-
ters to friends in the East, articles written to the local
press, narratives from travelers, accounts given by fur
traders who had been driven from the field, reports made
by officers of the government sent to visit the region,
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 13
were all influential in making known the agricultural
resources of Oregon.
The finding of the resources was one thing and the
development was another. .A work of heroism was be-
fore the people as great as anything ever done. Fortu-
nate was it for the social evolution of Oregon that a
population existed equal to the emergency and alert for
the effort. The early missionaries had already led the
way. They had proved to be genuine pathfinders. At-
tracted at first by the religious needs of the natives, they
had become the central stimulus to settlement. Care for
the native races was overbalanced by preparation for their
supplanting by the white race. Two streams of popula-
tion joined on the distant territory. New England, the
first mother of Oregon's social life, sent by the old sea
route a population which was strong of purpose and pos-
sessed of enough capital to become the merchants of new
colony.10 The Mississippi Valley sent a population to
till the soil which was full of the vigor of a frontier life
and composite of various elements of an American popu-
lation. To the valley had been coming settlers from both
the North and the South as well as some of the foreign
element, then beginning to arrive in America.11 It was
a population determined to win from the resources of
nature a competence and to establish for itself homes.
It came to establish a settlement that should be perma-
nent in its character. It was fitted to occupy a region
which required a population accustomed to the hardships
and the dangers of a frontier life. Any other kind would
not have been suited to the conditions and would speedily
have given up and contributed nothing to the social evo-
lution.
10 John Couch established a mercantile business in 1842 at Oregon City.
11 Analysis of pioneer population by George H. Hlmes.
14 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
The first companies were small and the difficulties and
dangers were great. Later companies were larger and
better organized, and were freed from many of the dis-
comforts and dangers. The migration of 1843, because
of the large number that came,12 may be taken to mark
the beginning of an agricultural stage in the industrial
life of Oregon. The settlers located in the valley of the
Willamette, which seemed most favorable to their purpose
and was most free from interference from the native races.
Strangely in contrast with the democratic settlement to
the south of the Columbia River was the English enter-
prise to the north. The organization of the "Puget Sound
Agricultural Company" was an attempt to enter the race
in the development of the agricultural resources as well
as the fur. Modeled after the fur company, owned by the
same persons, operated by the same methods, it aimed
to secure the settlement of the region to the north of the
river. In pursuance of the plan a settlement was started
on the land about the Sound in 1842. A method of in-
dustrial life, however, that had been successful in the
conduct of the fur business, was not equally so in the
development of agricultural resources. The aristocratic
methods of the English Fur Company were destined to
fail in competition with the democratic methods of the
American agricultural population. The Americans were
better fitted to survive on account of the character of the
people, the contiguity of the territory, and their indus-
trial methods. If the English had been able to crowd the
Americans out in the fur trade, they, in turn, were to be
crowded out in the development of agricultural resources
and both sides of the river were to be gained for the
democratic system of agricultural life. The colonists of
the company to the north appreciated the difference, and
12 About nine hundred.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 15
many of them drifted south and joined the settlers in the
Willamette Valley.13
Nothing is of greater importance to an agricultural
population than the possession of land. The indefinite
tenure that would satisfy the trader in furs was entirely
inadequate to the wants of the farmer. Fixity of tenure
is the basis of an agricultural life. It is the assurance
of a livelihood and the guarantee of a home. For the
earliest settlers who came there was no assurance of pos-
session beyond the good will of their fellow-men. So
high was the sentiment of honor, however, that violations
of good faith were few if any. But the increase of popula-
tion rendered a more definite system desirable. Tenure
to the land became, therefore, a motive in every effort
that was made to secure a form of government. The
Provisional government was welcome for that reason, as
well as others, and no part of the plan was received with
greater satisfaction than the land law.14 It assured the
settlers of a tenure to the land upon which they had set-
tled, which rested upon the consent of the community
legally expressed and good until a better one could be
obtained. When the territorial government was extended
over Oregon, anxiety was felt at the action to be taken
concerning the land, and the disappointment was great
when the bill was reported without a law regarding the
land. Contentment was not fully restored until the land
law was passed and the settlers knew to what they were
entitled and that their tenure was secured by the govern-
ment of the United States.
Nature had provided a climate and soil that was favor-
able for the agricultural settler, and the records agree in
regard to the phenomenal crops of those early days. But
no provision had been made for the auxiliaries of farm-
13 Henry Buxton, Forest Grove, one of the settlers on the Sound.
14 Grover's Archives.
16 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
ing. All these had to be introduced from without. The
plains were covered with a luxuriant growth of grass,
but there were no herds to graze. The climate was
favorable for the production of fruit, but there were no
trees to plant. One by one the auxiliaries had to be
added, often with difficulty, and usually with circum-
stances of romantic interest. When the prairies of Ore-
gon are covered with stock and the hills are green with
orchards, it is hard to realize that it was not always so.
Among the many things to note in the social evolution
of Oregon, there is nothing that surpasses the pluck and
the courage that furnished to so remote a locality the
things that are needed for an agricultural existence.
Life for the farmer would have been destitute indeed
had there been no cattle. Without them "the plow would
have stood idle in the furrow and the young pioneer
would have gone hungry to bed.' Cattle were grazing
in the pastures of the fur company, but they were not
for sale. No others could be found nearer than the
Spanish missions of California ; but they must be ob-
tained in some way, and the earliest of the industrial
enterprises of the agricultural period had that for its
object. The "Willamette Cattle Company' was organ-
ized in 1837, with a capital of a few hundred dollars, to
bring to the settlers a herd of Spanish cattle from the
missions of California. The enterprise was intrusted to
Ewing Young and P. L. Edwards, who started by vessel
on their important mission. It was no easy task to make
the purchase from the Spaniards, wThose policy forbade
the sale. At length a herd of about eight hundred was
secured and the journey back was begun. From the
diary of Edwards we are able to get glimpses of the
trials that were endured. Few are the incidents of his-
i* Matthew P. Deady.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 17
tory to be put beside the attempt to drive eight hundred
wild Spanish cattle a distance of a thousand miles across
mountains and over rivers. Sleep was rare where the
mosquitoes were thick, and the cattle were impelled to
"break like so many evil spirits and scatter to the four
winds.' When the task was completed and over six
hundred cattle were finally driven into the valley, it was
a time of great rejoicing. All traces of those Spanish
cattle have now disappeared from the herds of Oregon,
but the time was when the meadows were dotted over
with their picturesque forms "as mild looking as gazelles
when at rest, but as terrible as an army with banners
when alarmed.'
The cattle that supplanted the Spanish herds, how-
ever, came across the plains with the emigrants. It was
an undertaking of the greatest difficulty to drive them
two thousand miles through country where pasturage
was scanty in places and rivers and mountains were
numerous. The task which had been pronounced im-
possible was accomplished, however, and in 1843 over
one thousand cattle were brought to the valley.17 Supe-
rior to the Spanish stock, they displaced them in time.
No further lack was felt, and by 1850 the increase was
so great that the surplus was shipped to California. The
quality was improved from year to year, since selected
varieties were brought, and, in many cases, stock of
noted breeds. In the records of the early agricultural
fairs we read of the Durham and Devon cattle, and the
Cotswold, Oxfordshire, Southdown, and Merino sheep as
particular attractions of the exhibition.18 With the in-
troduction of cattle and sheep, not only were the needs
10 Diary of P. L. Edwards.
17 Jesse Applegate's "Day With the Cow Column of 1843."
18 Pamphlet report of Agricultural Society of Oregon, 1861.
18 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
of the farmer supplied, but the beginning was made of
an industry that was able to exist independently. It
formed the easiest method of making a living, and the
herder with long lariat riding through the deep grass of
the valley was a familiar sight in the earlier days before
the number of agricultural settlers and the cultivation of
the soil drove them to the prairies of the south and east.
It has proved to be an industry which has added to the
wealth of Oregon, and affected in other ways its social
life. Regions that would otherwise have remained un-
settled have contributed to the resources, and a popula-
tion independent and hardy has been added to the state.
As auxiliary to farming the production of fruit began.
When the earliest settlers came orchards of choice fruit
were growing on the property of the fur company. Like
the cattle, however, they were not destined for the service
of the settler. The earliest of the orchards of Oregon
took their start from the "traveling nursery' of Hen-
derson Luelling.19 Unable to dispose to advantage of the
nursery of young trees, when he was ready to start, this
plucky man packed them in boxes and brought them
across the continent. Importuned many times to aban-
don a load so heavy and cumbersome he always refused,
and had the satisfaction of setting them out upon his
claim at the end of the route. This choice selection of
apples, cherries, plums, and pears brought into the com-
munity health and wealth and the promise of another
industry for Oregon. From an auxiliary of farming the
raising of fruit has come to be the means of a livelihood
to many of the population, and with each year draws
more to the state.
Could the facts be obtained there would be interest
attached to the introduction of all of the auxiliaries to
19 Hon. R. C. Geer, in his address before the pioneer association.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 19
farming. Stock of various kinds was added. Cereals,
fruits, and vegetables were brought to add to the necessi-
ties and comforts of an agricultural community. Tools,
though heavy and often cumbersome, were carried across
the plains or around the Horn by vessel. The agricultural
life was fully established. Soon spots of cultivated land
began to appear in various places. Roads were marked
out and constructed between the different claims and set-
tlements. Political divisions appeared upon the map.
Groups of settlers collected at points most favorable for
distribution. Supplies were secured at the warehouse
of the fur company or from the merchants of Oregon
City. Surplus crops were sold to the fur company at a
regular price of sixty-two and one half cents per bushel.
Population increased with every year and Oregon was
fully transformed into an agricultural community. A
form of industrial life had been started that has charac-
terized the country ever since. It was established to last,
and the only question of importance could be whether it
would grow or stagnate. Far from the other centers of
population, there was little to connect it with the indus-
trial life of the rest of the country or of the world. It
could easily exist, but the possibilities of development
were not encouraging. The only market was the fur
company. Destitute emigrants were continually arriv-
ing to increase the population, but to add little to the
capital or the wealth. The dangerous entrance to the
Columbia River kept out the few vessels that might
otherwise have come. A critical period in the life of
the colony was reached by 1847. Depression was the
general feeling prevalent. The settlers organized among
themselves a little company to build ships and seek by
themselves to break the isolation of their position.
Such was the situation when an unforeseen event oc-
curred that changed the whole aspect of affairs. In the
20 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
summer of 1848 the "Honolulu" entered the little harbor
at Portland. She loaded with picks and pans and other
utensils useful to a mining [population. When leaving,
the crew mentioned the discovery of gold on American
Creek by James Marshall, 'an Oregon man in the em-
ploy of Sutter at his famous mill in California. The
discovery was confirmed and soon the male population
of the colony was off for the gold fields. Travelers of
that day tell us that the towns were inhabited mainly by
old men, women and children. Crops were left stand-
ing in the fields, though the time of harvest was near.
Indian troubles were forgotten, though a war was in
progress on the frontier of the settlement. The Oregon
Spectator was unable to get out its regular issues because
of the lack of hands to do the work. The Provisional
government was unable to get a quorum for the meeting
of the legislature though there were important matters
needing attention. Men even left their children to the
care of benevolent women, who looked after the "orphans
of 1848. "*
It was evident that a change had taken place. A new
impulse had entered the community like a strong tonic.
Men who had gone to the mines began^to return. Many
of them had been successful and brought back enough to
discharge obligations that had been resting over them for
years. Others returned with^added facility for^extend-
ing their business. A market was established for the
surplus products. Flour- and sawmills were keptJLrun-
ning day and night. Vessels now^took no heed of the
dangerous entrance to the Columbia, but waited in line
for their turn to load. Those who remained at home
gained as much as those who went and were surer of
getting it. Prices ranged high. Discouragement was
-•"Tabitha Brown was teacher of school for such orphans in Forest Grove.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OP OREGON. 21
dispelled and hope rose quickly to take its place. The
industrial and social life of Oregon had received an im-
pulse that was significant in its development.
The effects of the discoveries of 1848 were a strange
mixture of good and bad for the community. Nothing
so stirs to its foundation a community as the discovery of
the precious metals. Many of the population of Oregon
were unsettled in their industrial habits. The old and
steady lines of industry were deserted for the chances of
larger rewards. Emigration was turned to the newer
settlements of California. Immediate relief from the
isolated condition had been obtained, but a rival had been
established to the south, whose attractions were destined
to lead to speedy settlement. With the rapid growth of
that community Oregon saw the hope of a connection by
railroad with the East slipping away and a position of
subordination to California gradually forced upon her.
The markets, at first established, failed to bring the large
returns when the supplies were being produced nearer to
the point of consumption. A speculative spirit invaded
the industrial life. Undesirable characters were brought
into the country by the rush for gold. The Indians
alarmed at the growing numbers and the irritating acts
became hostile. Such were some of the objectionable
features of the new influence that had entered the com-
munity.
In the long run, however, it must be counted as an ad-
vance in the industrial and social evolution. A center
of population had been established where there had been
nothing that was of benefit to Oregon. Wealth and capi-
tal were added to the community. If population that
was undesirable came much also that was helpful drifted
northward and entered the steadier life of Oregon in pref-
erence to the less certain life of the mining region. If
some were upset and turned from a steadier life to one
22 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
of search for precious metals, others were aroused to a
healthy zeal for progress. A stimulus was given to the
search for the latent resources of Oregon which led to
the discovery not only of deposits of the precious metals,
but to other resources that have proved fully as important
and valuable. As the search was extended to Eastern Ore-
gon the mineral resources grew richer. In 1868 quartz
mining supplanted the superficial processes previously
used, and an industry of a permanent character was thus
established which has added yearly to the wealth and
been a means of attracting inhabitants to the state. The
establishment of mining camps and the growth of towns
and cities gave opportunity for the utilization of the agri-
cultural facilities which had been found to exist in the
region east of the mountains. Settlement was directed
to other sections beside the Willamette Valley and the
distribution of population thus changed to a more even
ratio thoroughout the state. Hardly yet has the older
population awakened to the consciousness of the change
and responded to the demands made by it.
The effect of the stimulus of 1848 was apparent in a
multitude of ways. The discovery of resources was ac-
companied by a better utilization of the old. Other
industries beside those connected with the mineral re-
sources were established. Manufactures were developed,
and a varied industrial life was guaranteed to Oregon.
Population was attracted by the new branches of busi-
ness that would never have joined the population of a
strictly agricultural region. Flouring mills increased
both in number and capacity. The bountiful resources
of timber were more fully utilized. Woolen mills were
started to make use of the supply of wool. The canning
of salmon supplanted the earlier form of packing in bar-
rels. Tanneries utilized the resources in hides. Invest-
ment was found for capital and labor had employment.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 23
Towns and cities increased in number and in size. Social
life had broadened in every way.
With the readjustments that followed the discovery of
gold a forward step was taken in the evolution, but the
isolation of position had not been overcome. Soon the
conditions of an earlier time returned. Though less
apparent, they were just as real and urged to further
progress. Already the people had felt the need, and
forces were at work to liberate the community from its
isolation and to continue in the line of growth.
None of the forces in the industrial evolution of Ore-
gon is more significant than the efforts to utilize the
high seas as an avenue of approach to the markets of
the world. Nearest to Oregon were the ports of Asia.
From the time that the early merchants of Boston car-
ried the furs to the market of Canton a strange link
existed between the social evolution of Oregon and the
markets of the Orient. When the Chinese nobles trimmed
their robes with the furs of the animals that live in the
forests of the northwest of America, they established a
bond of union that was destined to strengthen until the
large populations of Asia should become ready to receive
the surplus products that the growing population of Ore-
gon and the whole Pacific Coast were anxious to supply.
Following the opening of the ports of China by England
in 1842, and of Japan by Commodore Perry in 1854, a
closer industrial relation has been gradually established,
which the people of Oregon have come to feel is insepa-
rably connected with the industrial welfare of the state.
Of equal importance was the first cargo that was sent
to the market at Liverpool in 1868, and led the way to
an export trade which solves, in a large measure, the
question of Oregon's continued evolution. To Joseph
Watt, whose courage made the venture, a large place
must be given among those who have contributed to the
24 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
growth of Oregon. The change that has been wrought
by the acquisition of a European market for the products
has not been one of those striking events that please the
fancy, but it has been a gradual force working with ever
increasing power to draw Oregon out of her isolation and
into the stream of industrial life that insures prosperity
and growth.
Equally important among the forces that destroyed the
isolation of Oregon has been the construction of railroads.
Among the early colonists of 1848 a transcontinental line
was a hope which they even dared to express in their
petitions to congress. It was many years, however, be-
fore such a proposal could even receive consideration,
and when the time finally came the conditions were more
favorable to California, where the Central Pacific found
its terminus rather than in Oregon. Henceforth the
ambitions of Oregon turned toward a connection with
California, and by that channel with the East.
Long before the country was ready for such an enter-
prise, projects were entertained for railroads. Previous
to 1853 four lines had been contemplated, and in one
case the books had been opened for subscriptions of stock.
The action that was destined to materialize earliest into
tangible form was the survey that was made by Joseph
Gaston of a line to continue that made by a Californian
to the border of Oregon.21 Gaston started the enterprise
upon his own responsibility. Possessed of little capital,
it was his purpose to enlist the support of farmers along
the route, and circular letters were addressed to them.
Trusting to their interest to furnish food and shelter for
the surveying party, he was fully rewarded by a generous
response, and seldom have similar parties fared better.
21 Gaston's Railroad Development of Oregon, quoted by Bancroft in History
of Oregon.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 25
No criticisms that opponents could offer discouraged this
persevering man. He continued to send circulars to the
farmers and petitions to the legislature, until finally it
was voted to grant a subsidy of $250,000 to the company
that would construct the first hundred miles of road. A
company was organized and a charter granted under the
name of the "Oregon Central.' Before the work of con-
struction began a division arose in regard to the policy
of construction by Oregon interests or the more abundant
capital of California. Reconciliation was impossible, and
two enterprises took the place of the one. The opposing
factions planned to construct roads upon opposite sides
of the Willamette River, and began a long and bitter
rivalry. Curious methods were resorted to by each to
get within the terms of the charter and to gain the right
to the original name of "Oregon Central.' Both were
anxious to get the grants of land wrhich had been prom-
ised by the United States government.
Construction was begun by the two divisions in the
spring of 1868. The west side line was first to start
amidst demonstrations of approval by the population of
Portland favorable to their interests. A few days later
the east side line began construction with even greater
demonstration of approval. Neither of the factions had
much money to back their enterprise. Skillful financier-
ing was necessary to keep the men at work. Bitter liti-
gation was in progress all the time, but still they kept on
with the construction. The west side road at first seemed
to have a little the better of the conflict. Conditions
w^ere changed with the appearance on the scene of a gen-
tleman from California in 1868. In the person of Ben
Holladay the east side road had secured a master in his
line of business. Bold and autocratic in his methods,
regardless of the feelings of others, unscrupulous in the
methods pursued, he was able to crush the west side
"26 JAMBS R. ROBERTSON.
division and force it to sell its interests to him. Under
the united management of the "Oregon and California
Railroad,' therefore, the lines were continued on both
sides of the river.22 Bonds floated in the German market
gave abundance of capital at first. Interest on the bonds
began at length to fail, aa investigation was made, and
the affairs of the road were transferred to other hands in
1876. In the person of Henry Villard, a man of broader
views and more tactful methods, undertook the develop-
ment of railroad interests. The whole policy was en-
larged. The development of the roads of Oregon was to
him an effort to develop the roads of the nation. His
interests were not local. Fortunate was it for the indus-
trial and social evolution of Oregon that the railroad
interests fell to the lot of such a man. His own financial
position was wrecked in the undertaking, but the system
of railroads which have formed the basis of Oregon's
growth and prosperity was started by him . The construc-
tion of the "Northern Pacific Railroad,' the building
of the "Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company's'
line through the valley of the Columbia, the extension
of the "Oregon and California Railroad'1 nearer to the
border of the neighboring state, were all parts of the
comprehensive plan. First to be achieved was the con-
struction of the Northern Pacific, which gave Oregon its
long desired connection with the East, and acted as a
stimulus to the development of the system of railroads
as they now exist . Connection between the ' ' Oregon Rail-
way and Navigation Company's' line and the "Union
Pacific,' and the purchase of the "Oregon and Califor-
nia" line by the "Southern Pacific Railroad" in 1887,
added two more lines of transportation across the conti-
nent and effectively broke the isolation of Oregon from
22 Lang's History of the Willamette Valley.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OP OREGON.
other sections of the East. Smaller lines were constructed
to the productive valleys and seaport towns, and the differ-
ent parts of the state were joined together and brought
nearer to the markets and points of shipping. That the
change was realized is evident from- the following words
of the president of th-e Portland Board of Trade, spoken
on the occasion of the completion of the Northern Pacific
in 1884 : "At present we are in the very midst of a com-
mercial event of phenomenal importance; an event which
welds us forever to the other parts of the country, —the
union of the East and the West. The significance of the
change is yet scarcely apparent, but a rapid adjustment
of our business methods to the new order of things is
necessary. Hitherto we have occupied what might be
called an insular position, with insular advantages and
insular prejudices; but now we are incorporated with
the rest of the Union and must adopt the methods that
elsewhere prevail.' The popular approval and appre-
ciation was manifested by a monster procession in which
the principal object of interest was an old pioneer cara-
van with every detail depicted in realistic manner. Old
weather beaten wagons were prominent ; household uten-
sils were mingled with tow-headed babies and bear cubs ;
men walked beside the wagons to protect, with their rifles,
from imaginary harm, while a band of Warm Spring
Indians followed with war whoop and flourish of toma-
hawks.
From the completion of the transcontinental lines the
growth of industrial life has been steady and permanent.
Isolation has been destroyed. Remoteness of location,
however, has not been entirely overcome, and the process
of evolution is not complete. The law of social growth
has signified in the past that every step toward progress
requires the taking of another, and already the interest
28 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
of Oregon's population is centered on the construction of
an interoceanic canal to shorten the waterway connection
with her markets.
In the social evolution of Oregon it is necessary that
many questions should arise that are closely connected
with the industrial life. The prosperity of every com-
munity is identified with questions of an economic na-
ture. In the first place the welfare of every community
depends upon the harmonious relation of capital and
labor. In the history of Oregon there has been little
to mar the pleasant relation existing between the two.
Capital has never been so abundant as to menace the
interests of labor nor has labor ever been so abundant as
to be independent of capital. Strikes that have occurred
have been of small size and not aggravated in character.
Both capital and labor have needed the help of the other
and have united in the development of the resources of
a new country. Oregon is yet so young that the men of
wealth have grown to be such from an early start as
laborers. Every man feels that his chance is equal to
that of every other man more fully in a new community
than elsewhere.
The only question which has marred the harmony has
been a conflict between the white laborers and the Chi-
nese. Such conflicts have been less frequent and pf
milder nature than in the history of both California and
Washington. Brought into the state during the time of
railroad construction, the Chinese performed a valuable
service and undoubtedly assisted in the industrial devel-
opment in a very important manner. The legislation of
the community, however, from an early time shows a dis-
crimination against them and their privileges are lim-
ited even in the constitution of the state. Living, as
they do, by themselves and preserving their own habits
and standards of life, they do not assimilate with the
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OP OREGON. 29
other population. Together with the Indians they form
a novel element in the social life.
The industrial prosperity of a communty is insepara-
bly connected with the question of a medium of exchange
and standard of value. Money is indispensable to the
existence of industrial life in any important sense, and
the amount and the kind of money means progress or
decline and marks the community as industrially sound
or unsafe. In the early days of the fur trade exchanges
were made in the terms of the skin of the beaver, the
animal most numerous in the valley of the Columbia.
When the agricultural resources were utilized the bushel
of wheat took its place beside the beaver skin as a stand-
ard of value. Convenience soon led to the use of orders
upon the Hudson Bay Company or the stores of the
agricultural settlement. They served the purposes of a
medium of exchange for the simple transactions of an
early time. Metallic money was scarce at first. Occasion-
ally a barrel of silver would be brought into the region to
pay the crew of some ship. Much of it would get into
circulation and thus be added to medium of exchange.
Here and there could be found the coins of Mexico and
Peru. With the discovery of gold in California the dust
became abundant. It was not, however, able to command
as much in exchange as the same amount of gold in the
form of coin. This fact led to one of the most inter-
esting events in the monetary and industrial history of
Oregon, the coining of the "Beaver money' in 1849.
An act of the Provisional legislature was passed author-
izing the coinage of gold. Before it could be carried
into effect the Provisional government was supplanted
by the territorial, and the plan seemed to be defeated.
Some, however, were not willing to see it fail, and formed
a private company to undertake the enterprise.23 As it had
^Oregon Exchange Company.
30 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
never been submitted to the government of the United
States, for license, it was unconstitutional in form. In
every other particular it was eminently regular. The
little mint was not possessed of the necessary appliances
to render the coins uniform in quality or color, but they
were scrupulously accurate in the amount of gold which
they contained. Never had the mints of the national
government created a more honest coin. When they
were called in later by the mint at San Francisco they
were found to contain eight per cent more gold than the
standard coins of the United States.24 This money re-
ceived the name of "Beaver' from the stamp placed
upon one side of the coin. Altogether about $30,000 of
this money was coined in denominations of five and ten-
dollar coins.
The - Oregon community throughout its history has
favored metallic money. The -notes-, which the Provi-
sional government sometimes gave in return for its obli-
gations and agreed to receive in payment of obligations
to itself is the nearest that Oregon ever came to a paper
currency. No state institutions were ever organized to
issue paper money because such privilege has been de-
nied by the wisdom of the framers- of the constitution
and Oregon has been spared the evils of a currency which
figured in the history of so many of our commonwealths.
Even during the time of the civil war, when paper money
was issued and every appeal to patriotism would urge to
its use, Oregon remained essentially upon a metallic
basis, by the passage of a special contract law,25 enacted
in imitation of a similar policy in California. Financial
heresies have not taken root in the industrial life of
Oregon and the social evolution has profited thereby.
__^ _____ .. -: ' • . . .. .- . ,
24 Ex-Governor G. L. Curry. Address to pioneer association.
25 Oopy of special contract act.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 31
Few things so stamp a people as the ideas held in regard
to money.
Population congregating in any locality for the pur-
pose of making a livelihood soon organizes itself into a
political society, for man is a "political animal.' In-
dustrial life can not exist without some form of civil
government. In the early period of the fur trade this
function was supplied by the company, and particularly
its officers. It was of an autocratic type, but rendered
substantial justice, and was able to secure a most excel-
lent order in circumstances that might easily have been
disorderly. No region so remote from civilization was
ever more safe for the traveler than the territory under
the jurisdiction of the Hudson Bay Company.
Its ideals, however, were not sufficient for the demo-
cratic settlers who came to pursue an agricultural life.
At a very early date justices of the peace were appointed
in the mission settlement in the Willamette Valley.
The formation of the Provisional government in 1843
was a long step in advance, and must mark one of the
important stages in the social evolution of Oregon. It
is one of the finest examples to be found of the resource-
fulness of the American frontier settler. Although tem-
porary in character, it sufficed to keep the region in trust
until events could so shape themselves that the United
States could extend over the region a territorial form of
government. This again was a forward step in the social
evolution. At first sight it may seem that it was little
more than a change from Governor Abernethy to Lane,
but it marked a greater change than that. It was the
realization of something long desired ; it attached the
population of Oregon to that of the rep'ublic. The social
life expanded with the very thought ; the social life and
habits that prevailed in the republic were to prevail in
Oregon ; the nation was henceforth to aid in the develop-
32 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
ment of Oregon, and the resources of Oregon were to be
added to those of the nation ; national soldiers were to
help the colonists in their struggles against the Indians,
and in time of need the soldiers of Oregon were to defend
the interests of the nation.
The establishment of statehood in 1859 was the logical
end of political evolution. A community can attain to
nothing higher than to achieve a place in the council of
the nation. It is both a benefit to be enjoyed and an
obligation to be honorably met. If Oregon, in the past,
has occupied a subordinate place in the development of
national life, her position grows more important with
the changes that are occurring, and her opportunity to
take a more prominent part in 'national affairs grows
greater.
Connection with the life of the nation brought with it
the questions of national importance. Oregon always
had its local party questions ; but now it was to share
in the great problems that stirred national feeling to its
depths. The population of Oregon had established a
reputation for political interest. An early California
paper said that there were two occupations in Oregon,
"agriculture and politics.' The politics of the earlier
days was one-sided. The population was affiliated with
the democratic party. But how could it be otherwise
when that was the party which had included the men
who had taken the greatest interest in the development
of Oregon. The party of Jefferson, of Floyd and Benton,
of Monroe and Linn, of Douglas and Polk, was not un-
fittingly the party of the colonists. In the whole history
of the territorial government there was but one whig
governor and his term of office was not a pleasant one.
Mr. Lincoln was doubtless discreet when he replied to
the president, who offered him the governorship of the
Oregon territory, "No sir-ee."
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 33
The establishment of the Oregonian, under the editor-
ship of Mr. Dryer, marked a change in the political senti-
ment of the population. With the growth of the whig
party the early political conditions were changed.
With the growing prominence of the slavery question
and the formation of the republican party the change
became greater still and the majority were ranged on
the side that stood for the Union and against the insti-
tution of slavery. Every interest of Oregon became in
some way involved in this great question, as in fact did
the interests of every commonwealth. There was a strong
Southern element in the population that had come from
Missouri and there was some hope that the public opinion
of Oregon might be made to count for secession and
slavery. General Lane, a favorite son of Oregon, was
candidate for the vice presidency upon the extreme South-
ern ticket. Nothing redounds more to the credit of Ore-
gon than her stand against slavery and secession. The
vote taken at the time that the question of slavery was
submitted to the people for action, previous to the sub-
mission of a constitution to congress for ratification,
shows the division of opinion, while the clause still kept
in the constitution prohibiting free negroes is a historic
reminder of the sensitive Southern spirit that could not
endure to look upon a free negro if prohibited from keep-
ing one in bondage.26
A study of the social evolution of a community would
not be complete without some mention of the institutions
which arise among a population in response to the higher
needs. Those impulses which lead to the broadening of
the mental and the deepening of the moral nature are of
26 Vote 011 slavery: Seven thousand seven hundred against slavery; two thou-
sand two hundred for slavery. Vote on free negroes: Eight thousand six hun-
dred against free negroes.— Bancroft's History.
3
34 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
utmost importance to a community. In the accomplish-
ment of this work the community mainly looks to three
institutions — the public press, the church, and the school.
It was a significant event in the higher life of the peo-
ple when the first printing press was brought from the
Sandwich Islands in 1839 and given to the mission at
Lapwai. It marked the beginning of a movement that
was to be a powerful agent in stimulating mental activity
and in molding public opinion and moral sentiment. The
establishment of the Oregon Spectator in 1846 brought into
existence a journal that served the needs of the primitive
colony. Joined by the Free Press, there was little develop-
ment until 1850, when the establishment of the Oregonian,
and a few months later, in 1851, of the Statesman, led to
a stimulus that was to be felt throughout the succeeding
years. Other journals of a more local character followed
and each has performed its part in the social evolution.
In the pages of these journals is to be found the com-
pletest record of every stage of development in Oregon's
life. The public questions which have agitated the com-
munity are all seen reflected in vigorous language and
with the coloring of the times in which they were living
matters. Bringing to the population of a community
the record of events and questions of a common interest,
the newspaper has served to create a spirit of community
life, and the news from distant parts of the world has
broadened the life of those who have come in contact
with it.
For the creation of a moral and religious sentiment
among the early population of Oregon events were favor-
able. In the period of the fur trade distinctly religious
influences were not prominent, but there was a higher
moral tone than usually exists under similar circum-
stances. The officers of the fur company were men of
high character. Intemperance and immorality were dis-
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 35
couraged and prevented as far as possible. Religious
services were conducted on Sundays at the fort in Van-
couver. Foremost among the impulses to a high stand-
ard of moral life must be mentioned the coming of the
missionaries. Seeking in the first place to serve the na-
tive races they were equally effectual in preparing a con-
dition more favorable to the white man. Strong and
zealous they exerted a lasting influence upon the life of
the community. Without distinction of denomination
their influence was beneficial. It is true there was much
of conflict between the Catholics and Protestants in the
early days, but the conflict that grew from a zeal to secure
for the community the things that each thought essential
was a better foundation upon which to build than the
moral lethargy which characterizes the beginning of
many communities. It is true that the efforts of the
religious leaders to direct affairs of the community life
favorably to the interests in which they believed, were
often annoying to the settlers who cared little for relig-
ion, but it nevertheless sufficed to prevent many of the
abuses which so easily creep into a community where
there is too little watchfulness.
With the organization of the first Catholic Church at
Champoeg in 1839, and the Protestant churches by the
Methodists and Congregationalists at Oregon City in 1842
and 1844, began an organized movement which, regard-
less of tenets of belief, was to be a potent factor in the
development of that moral fibre in community life which
is its most valuable possession. Various denominations
arose among the population, and there was not always
the unity most favorable to best results. Centers of in-
fluence, however, were started, which later development
has ever been striving to unify. Though the moral foun-
dations were firmly laid, conditions of a growing com-
munity have not been most favorable to a development
36 JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
•
proportional to that in other lines. Absorption in the
pursuit of material interests, shifting of population, thin
distribution over a wide area, independence from the
restraining influences of the older communities, are in-
fluences to be met and overcome in the evolution of
religious and moral life. A church membership for Ore-
gon considerable below the average of that for the United
States, and a crime rate a little above, are indications of
a condition that should render the serious mind thought-
ful and alert to seek for every stimulus to a development
at least equal if not greater than that of the industrial
and political life.27
With the educational institutions, our brief study of
the evolution of the community may fitly end. In the
schools of any locality are the centers of influence that
are most effective in producing social progress in things
that pertain to the higher life. Beginning with the in-
stitutions established by the missionaries, the growth
has been steady though slow; beginning with the schools
for the native races and the children of the settlers,
academies and colleges were added generally in advance
of the needs rather than in response to a demand. First
of the higher schools was the Oregon Institute, which
was created in the cabin of "Lausanne' before the mis-
sionaries had touched the shore of Oregon.28 In the fol-
lowing year an academy was founded upon the plains of
the Tualatin, and earliest among the acts of the territorial
legislature was the establishment of the public schools.
From these beginnings other institutions have been
started both by the different denominations and the
state. Each in turn has been a center of influence in
the evolution of the community, and from facilities, in
27 United States Census Report for 1890.
28 Catalogue of Willamette University.
THE SOCIAL EVOLUTION OF OREGON. 87
most cases meager indeed, strong leaders have received
the stimulus that enabled them to perform the work that
they have done. Among the builders of the social life
of Oregon credit should be awarded to the men who,
through sacrifice, made possible the greatest stimulus to
good that a community can possess.
JAMES R. ROBERTSON.
By WM. D. FENTON.
II.
On February 24, 1873, the Board of Capitol Building
Commissioners was organized with John F. Miller, presi-
dent, and plans for a state capitol prepared by Krumbein
& Gilbert were adopted ; and pursuant to the joint reso-
lution of the legislature of 1872 the commission selected
block 84 in Salem as the site, the selection being made
May 13, 1873, and the foundation of the present state
capitol was laid May 17 of that year. An appropriation
of $100,000 was made in 1872, and the building was
completed so as to be occupied by the legislature in Sep-
tember, 1876. The building commissioners were Henry
Klippel, Samuel Allen, and E. L. Bristow.
The legislative assembly for the year 1874 convened
September 14, and concluded its labors October 23. This
was the eighth biennial session. R. B. Cochran, of Lane,
was elected president of the senate, and John C. Drain
was elected speaker of the house. Among the prominent
members of the senate mention may be made of John
Myers, of Clackamas ; J. F. Watson, of Douglas ; J. N.
Dolph, of Multnomah; T. R. Cornelius, of Washington ;
R. B. Cochran, of Lane ; Dr. James A. Richardson, of
Marion, and Sol Hirsch, of Multnomah. Among the
members of the house of prominence may be mentioned
the names of C. G. Chandler, of Baker; James Bruce,
of Benton ; G. W. Riddle, John C. Drain, and D. W.
POLITICAL HISTORY OP OREGON. 39
Stearns, of Douglas ; W. J. Plymale, of Jackson ; F. X.
Matthieu and A. N. Gilbert, of Marion ; Raleigh Stott
and John M. Gearin, of Multnomah ; E. B. Dufur and
Robert Mays, of Wasco ; Lee Laughlin, E.G. Bradshaw,
and William Galloway, of Yamhill. On September 17,
1874, the legislative assembly, in joint convention, can-
vassed the vote of the state for governor at the general
election in 1874, which resulted as follows: L. F. Grover,
democrat, nine thousand seven hundred and thirteen ;
T. F. Campbell, independent, six thousand five hundred
and thirty-two; J. C.Tolman, republican, nine thousand
one hundred and sixty-three votes ; showing a plurality
in favor of L. F. Grover over T. F. Campbell, three thou-
sand one hundred and eighty-one, and over J. C. Tolman
of five hundred and fifty. The oath of office was admin-
istered to the governor-elect by B. F. Bonham, then chief
justice. At that session Henry Klippel, R. P. Boise, and
H. Stapleton were elected capitol building commissioners
to serve for the ensuing term of two years.
The legislative assembly for the year 1876 convened
September 11. John Whiteaker was elected president
of the senate, and J. K. Weatherford speaker of the
house. Among the new members of the senate elected
that year mention may be made of the names of G. W.
Colvig, of Douglas; T. A. Davis and M. C. George, of
Multnomah; A. S. Watt, of Washington; E. C. Brad-
shaw, of Yamhill; John Myers, of Clackamas, and John
Whiteaker, of Lane. On September 19, 1876, the senate
voted for United States senator, and Jesse Applegate re-
ceived seven votes ; L. F. Grover, twenty ; T. F. Camp-
bell, one ; J. W. Nesmith, one ; and on the next day in
joint convention Grover received forty-four votes ; Nes-
mith, eleven ; Applegate, thirty-two, and Campbell, two.
On Friday, September 22, Applegate received thirty-three
votes; Nesmith, five; Grover, forty-eight, and Camp-
40 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
bell, four ; and L. F. Grover was declared duly elected
senator for six years from March 4, 1877. J. F. Watson
was elected judge of the second judicial district over J.
M. Thompson by a vote of three thousand two hundred
and sixty-two to three thousand and sixty-nine. R. P.
Boise judge of the third judicial district over B. F. Bon-
ham by a vote of four thousand two hundred and thirteen
to four thousand and thirty-eight. L. L. McArthur was
elected judge of the fifth judicial district without oppo-
sition, receiving three thousand five hundred and forty-
one votes. At this election H. K. Hanna was elected
district attorney of the first judicial district over C. B.
Watson by one thousand one hundred and sixty to nine
hundred and seventy-five ; and S. H. Hazard in the
second judicial district over W. B. Higby by a vote of
three thousand two hundred and thirty to three thousand
one hundred and fifty-seven ; and in the third judicial
district George H. Burnett over W. M. Ramsey, four
thousand one hundred and eighteen to four thousand
and twenty-five ; in the fourth judicial district Raleigh
Stott over F. R. Strong by a vote of three thousand four
hundred and seventy-seven to two thousand nine hun-
dred and fifty-six ; and in the fifth judicial district L. B.
Ison over Robert Eakin by a vote of two thousand three
hundred and seventy-six to one thousand nine hundred
and thirty-one.
A state census for the year 1875 showed a population
of one hundred and four thousand nine hundred and
twenty, excluding Indians and Chinese. The total cost
of the state house up to August 31, 1876, as shown by
the Board of Capitol Building Commissioners, is $201,-
728.63. At a special election held October 25, 1875, for
representative in the forty-fourth congress, L. F. Lane
received nine thousand three hundred and seventy-three
votes ; Henry Warren, nine thousand one hundred and
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 41
six; G. M. Whitney, eight hundred and thirty-seven;
G. W. Dimmick, three hundred and forty-five ; and scat-
tering, thirteen votes.
Speaking of the railroad contest, it may be mentioned
that on April 6, 1866, the east side road had its opening
ceremonies in honor of its work of construction. The
celebration occurred about three fourths of a mile from
the Stark-street ferry landing at East Portland, and about
five hundred rods from the east bank of the Willamette
River, not far from where the old asylum for the insane
stood, near what is now East Twelfth and Hawthorne
Avenue. It is said that in honor of the event flags were
flying from every available flagstaff in the city. Proces-
sions were formed in the city and marched to the spot,
preceded by the Aurora Brass Band. The orator of the
day was Hon. John H. Mitchell. It is estimated that
five thousand people were present. The shovel used bore
on it a beautiful silver plate, attached to the front of the
handle, with this inscription: "Presented by Sam M.
Smith to the Oregon Central Railroad Company, Port-
land, April 16, 1868. Ground broken with this shovel
for the first railroad in Oregon.' President Moores
drove the first stake and threw out the first sod in the
construction of the Oregon Central Railroad, now the
Oregon and California, amid the huzzas of the multitude.
At the general election held on the first day of June,
1868, Joseph S. .Smith, democrat, received eleven thou-
sand seven hundred and fifty-four votes, and David
Logan, republican, ten thousand five hundred and fifty-
five votes.
The total assessed value of the state for the year 1866
was $25,560,312.63, and for the year 1875, $41,436,086.
A brief history of the various state conventions,. and
of the political issues tendered thereby, may not be with-
out interest. The democratic state convention met at
42 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Portland April 5, 1866, and nominated James D. Fay of
Jackson for congress on the sixth ballot, over Joseph S.
Smith, who at one time had fifty-nines votes to his
five; Gates, twenty-four. James K. Kelly of Wasco was
nominated for governor ; L. F. Lane of Multnomah for
secretary of state ; John C. Bell of Marion for state
treasurer; James O'Meara for state printer; P. P. Prim
judge of the first judicial district ; James R. Neil prose-
cuting attorney of the first judicial district; George B.
Dorris prosecuting attorney of the second judicial dis-
trict; J. W. Johnson of Marion prosecuting attorney of
the third judicial district, and James H. Slater of Union
prosecuting attorney of the fifth judicial district.
On March 19, 1868, the democratic state convention
met at Oro Fino Hall, in Portland, Oregon, and nomi-
nated Joseph S. Smith of Marion for congress; S. F.
Chad wick, John Burnett, and J. H. Slater presidential
electors, and instructed the delegates to the national con-
vention to vote for George H. Pendleton for president.
The convention met and nominated W. G. T'Vault for
prosecuting attorney of the first judicial district; L. F.
Mosher judge and R. S. Strahan prosecuting attorney of
the second judicial district ; W. F. Trimble judge and
J. H. Reed prosecuting attorney of the fourth judicial
district ; William B. Las well prosecuting attorney of the
fifth judicial district.
The democratic state convention which met at Albany,
Oregon, March 23, 1870, nominated James H. Slater for
congress ; L. F. Grover for governor ; S. F. Chad wick
secretary of state ; L. Fleischner treasurer ; Thomas Pat-
terson state printer; B. F. Bonham judge and N. L.
Butler prosecuting attorney of the third judicial district ;
R. E. Bybee prosecuting attorney of the fourth judicial
district ; L. L. Me Arthur judge and W. B. Laswell prose-
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 43
cuting attorney of the fifth judicial district ; A. J. Thayer
judge of the second judicial district.
The democratic convention which met at The Dalles
Wednesday, April 10, 1872, elected James W. Nesmith
chairman, and nominated John Burnett of Benton for
congress ; George R. Helm of Linn, L. F. Lane of Doug-
las, and N. H. Gates of Wasco presidential electors ;
P. P. Prim judge and J. R. Neil district attorney of the
first judicial district; C. W. Fitch district attorney of"
the second judicial district ; J. J. Shaw district attorney
of the third judicial district ; C. B. Bellinger district at-
torney of the fourth judicial district, and W. B. Laswll
district attorney of the fifth judicial district.
The democratic convention which met Wednesday,
March 18, 1874, at Albany, nominated L. F. Grover for
governor ; George A. LaDow of Umatilla for congress ;
S. F. Chad wick for secretary of state ; A. H. Brown for
treasurer ; M. V. Brown for state printer ; E. J. Dawne
superintendent of public instruction ; William B. Las-
well prosecuting attorney of the fifth judicial district ;
L. F. Mosher judge of the second judicial district ; C. W.
Fitch district attorney of the second judicial district ;
H. K. Hanna district attorney of the first judicial dis-
trict, and J. J. Whitney district attorney of the third
judicial district.
The democratic convention which met Wednesday,
April 26, 1876, at Salem, elected Henry Klippe] chair-
man, and nominated L. F. Lane for congress by ac-
clamation; B. F. Bonham judge of the third judicial
district; W. M. Ram.sey district attorney of the third
judicial district; F. R. Strong district attorney of the
fourth judicial district; H. K. Hanna district attorney
of the first judicial district ; L. B. Ison district attorney
of the fifth judicial district; S. H. Hazard district at-
torney of the second judicial district ; L. L. McArthur
44 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
judge of the fifth judicial district, and J. M. Thompson
judge of the second judicial district. Henry Klippel of
Jackson, W. B. Laswell of Grant, and E. A. Cronin of
Multnoraah were nominated as presidential electors.
The election for congressman at this time occurred No-
vember 7, 1876, at which Richard Williams, the repub-
lican candidate, received fifteen thousand three hundred
and forty-seven votes and Lafayette Lane, democrat, re-
ceived fourteen thousand two hundred and twenty-nine
votes. The republican electors were W. H. Odell, J. W.
Watts, and J. C. Cartwright, and received an average
vote of fifteen thousand two hundred and six against the
democratic vote of fourteen thousand one hundred and
thirty-six. Growing out of the fact that J. W. Watts was
at the time of his election postmaster at Lafayette, and
of the further fact that the presidential election was close
and that several states of the South were contested, there
was a contest made by E. A. Cronin as to the right to
issue the electoral certificate in favor of J. W. Watts. A
change of one electoral vote would have resulted in the
election of Samuel J. Tilden as president and Thomas
A. Hendricks as vice president of the United States in-
stead of Rutherford B. Hayes, president, and William
A. Wheeler, vice president. The electoral commission
created by act of congress refused to sustain the action
of Governor Grover who declined to issue a certificate to
J. W. Watts, but counted all three of the electoral votes
for Hayes and Wheeler.
The union state convention met at Corvallis March 29,
1866, and this convention was held under the auspices of
what was then known as the union party, and later the
union republican party, and still later the republican
party. This convention nominated Rufus Mallory on
the first ballot for congress, the vote being : Mallory,
sixty-three ; Bowlby, twenty-three ; Henderson, seven ;
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 45
Baker, twenty-eight. George L. Woods of Wasco was
nominated for governor ; Samuel E. May of Marion for
secretary of state ; E. N. Cooke of Marion for state treas-
urer ; W. A. McPherson of Linn for state printer ; B. F.
Dowell wTas nominated judge for the first judicial dis-
trict and D. M. C. Gault district -attorney ; J. F. Watson
was nominated district attorney of the second judicial
district; P. C. Sullivan of the third; M. F. Mulkey of
the fourth, and C. R. Meigs of the fifth. In the elec-
tion held in June Mallory received ten thousand three
hundred and sixty-two votes ; Fay, his opponent, received
nine thousand eight hundred and nine votes. The union
ticket was successful by a small majority.
The union state convention met at Salem March 25,
1868, and nominated David Logan for congress on the
second ballot over P. C. Sullivan, of Polk, by a vote
of fifty-six to fifty-one, two votes scattering. Orange
Jacobs, Wilson Bowlby, and A. B. Meacham were nomi-
nated as presidential electors ; John Kelsey judge of the
second judicial district ; W. W. Upton judge of the
fourth judicial district ; D. M. Risdon prosecuting attor-
ney of the second judicial district; J. C. Powell prose-
cuting attorney of the third judicial district; A. C.
Gibbs prosecuting attorney of the fourth judicial dis-
trict; C. M. Foster prosecuting attorney of the fifth
judicial district. The convention instructed its delegates
for Ulysses S. Grant for president.
The union republican convention met at Portland
Thursday, April 7, 1870, and nominated Joseph G. Wil-
son for congress; Gen. Joel Palmer for governor; James
Elkins for secretary of state ; M. Hirsch for state treas-
urer ; H. R. Kincaid for state printer; E. B. Watson
district attorney of the first judicial district ; J. A. Odell
district attorney of the second judicial district ; J. C.
Powell district attorney of the third judicial district;
46 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
•
A. C. Gibbs district attorney of the fourth judicial dis-
trict; D. W. Lichtenthaler prosecuting attorney of the
fifth judicia] district ; John Kelsey judge of the second
judicial district; R. P. Boise of the third judicial dis-
trict, and B. Whitten of the fifth. A. J. Thaver was
t/
elected judge of the secoiid judicial district by a majority
of eighty-six; R. P. Boise judge of the third judicial
district by a majority of eighteen; L. L. McArthur judge
of the fifth judicial by a majority of six hundred and
seventy-eight ; H. K. Hanna was elected district attor-
ney of the first judicial district by a majority of one
hundred and ninety-six; C. W. Fitch district attorney
of the second judicial district by a majority of sixty
votes; N. L. Butler district attorney of the third judicial
district by a majority of one hundred and nine ; A. C.
Gibbs prosecuting attorney of the fourth judicial district
by a majority of four hundred and twelve votes, and W.
B. Laswell prosecuting attorney of the fifth judicial dis-
trict by a majority of six hundred and sixty-nine.
The republican state convention met on Wednesday,
March 29, 1872, at Portland, and elected Rufus Mallory
chairman. J. G. Wilson was nominated by unanimous
vote for congress ; F. A. Chenoweth district attorney of
the second judicial district; W. D. Hare, J. F. Gazley,
and A. B. Meacham presidential electors.
The republican state convention which met at Salem
April 8, 1874, nominated J. C. Tolman of Jackson for
governor ; D. G. Clark of Benton for treasurer ; C. M.
Foster of Baker for secretary of state; E. M. Waite of
Marion for state printer ; L. L. Rowland of Wasco for
superintendent of public instruction ; John Kelsey judge
of the second judicial district; F. A. Chenoweth district
attorney of the second judicial district; N. B. Hum-
phrey district attorney of the third judicial district ; W.
Carey Johnson judge of the fourth judicial district; J.
POLITICAL HISTORY OP OREGON. 47
C. Moreland district attorney of the fourth judicial dis-
trict; J. C. Cartwright district attorney of the fifth
judicial district.
The independent state convention met at Salern April
15, 1874, and nominated T. W. Davenport for congress ;
Thomas F. Campbell of Polk for governor; James H.
Douthitt for secretary of state; D. Beach of Linn for
treasurer ; William M. Hand of Wasco for state printer ;
M. M. Oglesby of Douglas for superintendent of public
instruction. It also nominated John Burnett for judge
of the second judicial district; J. J. Walton district
attorney of the second judicial district; Tilman Ford
district attorney of the third judicial district ; 0. Huma-
son district attorney of the fifth judicial district; E. D.
Shattuck judge of the fourth judicial district, and H. Y.
Thompson district attorney. The Oregonian, then edited
by William Lair Hill, supported the ticket nominated by
this convention. In the state convention thirteen coun-
ties were represented.
The republican state convention met Wednesday, May
3, 1876, at Portland, and nominated W. H. Odell, J. W.
Watts, and J. C. Cartwight as presidential electors and
Richard Williams for congress. It also nominated as
district attorney of the first judicial district C. B.Watson ;
second judicial district, W. B. Higby ; third judicial dis-
trict, George H. Burnett ; fourth judicial district, Raleigh
Stott ; fifth judicial district, S. B. Eakin ; and J. F. Wat-
son judge of the second judicial district ; R. P. Boise
judge of the third. The independent movement which
was so strong in 1874 and which was mainly a protest
against republican management, disappeared in the elec-
tion in 1876.
The union republican convention which convened on
March 29, 1866, adopted a platform of nine resolutions.
The first expressed abiding confidence in the justice, in-
48 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
telligence, and patriotism of the people of the United
States, and that they had firmness and wisdom to pre-
serve the Union their valor had sustained ; the second
recognized honest difference of opinion as to the best
plan of reconstruction, but deprecated the obstinacy or
pride of opinion that gave strength to the enemies of the
Union through discord and division among its friends ;
the third resolution expressed a desire for full recogni-
tion of all the civil and political privileges of the states
lately in revolt as soon as compatible with national safety
and the protection of the loyal people in these states ;
the fourth resolution reads as follows: "The name of
the man or of the party that would propose to the nation
to repudiate its just pecuniary obligations should be con-
signed to everlasting infamy ;' the fifth expresses devo-
tion to the soldiers and the cause for which they fought,
and the sixth expresses a pledge to support the rights of
the states in their domestic affairs, and at the same time
a pledge to preserve the general government in its whole
constitutional vigor ; the seventh declared that the doc-
trine of nullification and secession held by the so-called
democratic party is antagonistic to the perpetuity of the
Union and destructive of the peace, order, and prosperity
of the American people ; the eighth pledged the party
to maintain the national Union, and the ninth opposed
taxation of the sale of mineral lands.
The democratic state convention which met April 5,
1866, adopted a platform consisting of eleven resolutions,
the first of which expressed devotion to equal and exact
justice to all men ; support of the states in their rights
and of the federal government in all its vigor ; a jealous
care of the elective franchise ; supremacy of the civil over
the military power ; expressed opposition to centralized
power ; favored economy, education, morality, religious
freedom, free speech, free press, and the writ of habeas
POLITICAL HISTORY OP OREGON. 49
corpus. The second denounced the majority in congress
in its refusal to admit the representatives of eleven states ;
sustained President Johnson in his controversy with the
republican majority ; approved his veto of the f reed-
men's bureau and civil rights bills. The third resolu-
tion declared its sympathy with and support of President
Johnson in his contest, and the fourth denounced the
assumption that the democratic party was in. favor of
repudiation, nullification, and secession as false and
slanderous. The fifth resolution was in these words :
^Resolved, That we indorse the sentiment of Senator
Douglas that this government was made on a white basis
for the benefit of the white man, and we are opposed to
extending the right of suffrage to any other than white
men.' The sixth denounced the exemption of United
States bonds from taxation, and favored their full taxa-
tion. The seventh condemned the protective tariff, and
the eighth denounced the national banks and declared
"that the existence of national banks after the experience
we have had with and without them, especially in times
of peace, is a subject of just alarm.' The ninth resolu-
tion denounced the squandering of the public money by
state officers. The tenth praises the patriotic soldiers of
the war, but denounces the republican party as trying to
turn the late war into a party triumph, and a war of
conquest instead of the suppression of a rebellion ; a war
for the negro instead of the white man. The eleventh
resolution favors the free_use of mines.
The union state convention which met March 25, 1868,
instructed its delegates for Grant for president, and
adopted a platform of nine resolutions. The first is ex-
pressive of the duty to maintain the Union ; the second
indorses the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments,
and the reconstruction acts ; the third favors the admis-
i
4
50 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
sion of the rebel states to representation as soon as it
was safe so to do ; the fourth opposes the payment of the
national debt, contracted in specie, in legal tender ; the
fifth declares that congress had no right to interfere with
the elective franchise where a state is represented in
congress, and has a civil government not overthrown by
rebellion ; the sixth demanded the protection of all citi-
zens, native or naturalized ; the seventh encouraged for-
eign immigration ; the eighth pledged its support to the
soldiers and sailors, and favored liberal pensions ; and
the ninth resolution favored liberal appropriations of
land and money by the government to aid in the con-
struction of railroads.
The democratic state convention which convened on
March 19, 1868, adopted a platform containing twelve
resolutions, the first of which pledged the convention to
adherence and unswerving fidelity to the time-honored
principles of the party ; the second declared that the
federal government was one of limited powers, defined
by the constitution ; the third denied that the constitu-
tion authorized congress to legislate upon internal affairs
of the state ; and the subsequent portions of the plat-
form, in substance, declared in favor of the maintenance
of the constitution ; opposed to sharing with the servile
races the priceless political heritage achieved alone by
white men and by them transmitted to their posterity ;
and declared that good faith and justice to all demands
that the public debts should be paid in like currency as
contracted, and that United States securities should be
taxed as other property ; that taxation should be upon
the property instead of the industries, and protested
against the reconstruction acts ; condemned the usurpa-
tion of the judiciary and executive by congress ; ex-
pressed sympathy with the Irish people in their efforts
to secure for themselves liberty, and declared that the
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 51
government must protect alike native and naturalized
citizens at home or abroad; resolved in favor of a ju-
dicious system of railroad improvement in Oregon to
develop the vast resources, and for this purpose asked
congress to make liberal donations. This convention
instructed its delegates for George H. Pendleton for
president.
The democratic state convention which met March
23, 1870, adopted a lengthy platform of thirteen resolu-
tions, in substance declaring the attachment of the party
to the principles of the republic ; denouncing political
partisans at Washington and the reconstruction measures
as "a nefarious scheme, revolutionary in design, treason-
able in execution.' It also condemned the then sena-
tors as misrepresenting the wishes and outraging the
sentiments of the people of the state ; denounced the
bestowal of the elective franchise upon Indians, negroes,
and Chinese, and denounced the ratification of the recent
amendments to the constitution ; urged the repeal of the
Burlingame treaty between the United States and China ;
denounced special privileges as to burdens of taxation,
and adopted the eighth resolution which reads, "that the
continual payment of the semiannual interest on the
bonded debt of the United States without abatement, to-
gether with other numerous expenses for which the peo-
ple are taxed, make a burden too intolerable to be borne
without an effort to find some speedy measures of relief ;'
that the amount of the bonded debt was increased more
than twofold by the venal, illegal, and unjustifiable terms
of its contraction, and that there was neither justice nor
wisdom in the repeated payment of the principal by the
continued payment of the interest ; that it is no part of
good policy or good government to embarrass the ener-
gies of all labor and all business enterprises by excessive
and oppressive taxation for the exclusive benefit of a
52 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
combination of un taxed capital; that to relieve the coun-
try and restore prosperity we favor an equitable adjust-
ment of the bonded debt of the United States. This
resolution was challenged by the republicans as a direct
expression of a desire to repudiate the national debt.
The ninth resolution condemns the payment of bonds in
specie and pensions in currency, and declared that "this
evinces a design on the part of the moneyed aristocracy
to influence the restablishment of a policy favoring the
aggrandizement of the rich at the expense of the poor,
a policy which has for its object the aggregation of wealth
and power on the one hand, and misery, poverty, and
slavery on the other, a policy fitted only to a monarchial
form of government.' The platform closes by favoring a
revenue tariff; denouncing protection for the sake of
protection ; favoring the adoption of an amendment re-
scinding the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments, and
favoring land grants to railroads; it denounces the action
of the governor and resigning members of the last leg-
islature as a conspiracy to overthrow the state govern-
ment and collect taxes to speculate in bonds, warrants,
and other securities, and approved the action of the
democratic members who strove to maintain the legis-
lative session.
The republican state convention which met April 7,
1870, adopted its platform under the name of the "Union
Republican Party,' and expressed its views in eleven
resolutions. It declared its devotion to the Union ; fidel-
ity to the constitution and amendments, and the laws
of congress ; indorsed the administration of President
Grant ; expressed confidence in the administration of
our foreign relations, and especially in relation to our
claim against Great Britian, and the fourth resolution
was as follows : "We denounce all forms of repudiation
as a national crime ; and the national honor requires
POLITICAL HISTORY OP OREGON. 53
the payment of the public indebtedness in the uttermost
good faith to all creditors at home or abroad, not only
according to the letter, but the spirit of the laws under
which it was contracted. And for this purpose we favor
strict economy in the administration of the national gov-
ernment, and the application to such payment of all sur-
plus revenue from whatever sources derived, and that
taxation should be equalized and reduced as rapidly as
the national faith will permit.' The platform expresses
sympathy with men of all nationalities, striving for self-
government ; opposes any change in the naturalization
laws which shall admit to citizenship foreigners not now
entitled thereto ; favors a judicious system of railroad
and river improvements, and insists upon congress mak-
ing liberal grants of aid ; favors a tariff for revenue with
such discriminations in favor of domestic manufactures as
will not diminish its efficiency for the purposes of reve-
nue; favors universal amnesty to those people whose
states have been restored to their full relations to the
Union ; favors education and opposes any diversion of
the common school funds to any other purpose than the
support of the common schools. Declares that it recog-
nizes in the union republican party the measures and
men who saved the government from destruction, and
that its continuance in power is the only safeguard to
national peace and prosperity.
The democratic state convention which met April 10,
1872, adopted a platform of nine resolutions, in substance
declaring in favor of a strict construction of the con-
stitution ; the restoration of the states to their rights ;
opposes corruption in all departments of the government ;
declares against privileged classes or capital ; expresses
its approval of a tariff to raise money only for the neces-
sary expenses of the federal government, and not for
benefit of monopolies. It condemns as unconstitutional
54 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
the reconstruction and Ku Klux laws, and the fraud and
corruption in the administration, and declares that the
freedom, welfare, and rights of the people are superior to
the interests of incorporations, and should be protected
against the exactions of oppressive monopolies. It favors
the appropriation of swamp land funds to internal im-
provement and common schools, and indorses the con-
struction of the locks at Oregon City, and favors like
improvement of the Columbia River ; indorses the state
administration in securing land grants that otherwise
would have gone to corporations.
The union republican state convention which convened
March 20, 1872, adopted a platform consisting of fourteen
resolutions. The first declares its fidelity to the consti-
tution and its amendments ; commended the administra-
tion of President Grant, and denounces all forms and
degrees of repudiation of the national debt as affirmed
by the democratic party and its sympathizers as not only
national calamities, but positive crimes, and declared that
its party would never consent to a suspicion of lack of
honor or justice in the complete satisfaction of that debt.
It recognized no distinction between native and foreign
born citizens, and favored complete amnesty to all peo-
ple of the states lately in rebellion ; favored the encour-
agement of railroads by the general government of the
United States and the disposal of the public domain so
as to secure the same to actual settlers ; favored a reve-
nue tariff with such adjustment of duties as gives liberal
wages to labor and remunerative prices to agriculture ;
condemns the expenditure of $200,000 of the common
school fund on the locks at Oregon City ; condemns the
last legislature in respect to the disposal of swamp lands,
the increase of salaries of state and county officers, and
the Portland charter bill ; favored a bounty of one hun-
dred and sixty acres for each soldier ; demanded the
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 55
repeal of the litigant act ; expressed its approval of aid
from the federal government for the construction of a
railroad from Portland, Oregon, to Salt Lake City, and
from Jackson County to Humboldt County, California,
and pledged its party representatives to support the
same. It favored a discriminating license of the liquor
traffic and national aid to build a wagon road from Port-
land to The Dalles, and favored the continuance of its
party in power.
The democratic state convention which met March 18,
1874, adopted a platform consisting of fourteen resolu-
tions. The chairman of the committee on resolutions in
that convention was C. B. Bellinger. It declared in favor
of the rights of the states ; asserted that the danger of
corruption in public office was the greatest issue, and
that the cardinal principle of the party's future political
action was "retrenchment, economy, and reform," and
that this was imperatively demanded ; opposed the so-
called "salary grab,' the actions of ring politicians and
land monopolies, and appealed to honest men every-
where, without regard to past political affiliations, to
join the representatives of the party in branding, as they
deserved, "these corrupt leeches on the body politic, and
assist us to purge official stations of their unwholesome
and baneful presence.' It condemned the national ad-
ministration and federal interference at the polls ; favored
the regulation and control of corporations by the legisla-
ture, and declared in favor of a speedy return to specie
payments, just and equal taxation for support of federal
and state governments, and opposed all discrimination in
the assessment of federal revenue for the purposes of pro-
tection ; favored free navigation and improvement of the
Columbia and the construction of a breakwater at Port
Orford, improvement of the Coquille and Willamette
rivers, and the construction of a railroad from Portland
56 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
to Salt Lake City and an early completion of the Oregon
and California Railroad to the state line. The platform
approved the "Patrons of Husbandy," commonly known
as the "Grange," and opposed schoolbook monopolies;
favored the reduction of fees of clerks and sheriffs, and
an amendment to the state constitution permitting the
state printing to be let to the highest bidder, and favored
the retention of the litigant act. It opposed the state
buying, leasing, or speculating in anything not directly
belonging to the state's business ; favored the construc-
tion of a wagon road from Portland to The Dalles, and
congressional aid to build the railroad from Portland to
Salt Lake, and for continuation of the Oregon Central
from St. Joseph to Junction City.
The republican platform adopted April 8, 1874, con-
sisted of fifteen resolutions, and was a general eulogy of
honest government ; defined and declared the uses of a
political party, and the necessity therefor; expressed a
desire to control corporate franchises ; opposed interfer-
ence by state officials with conventions ; demanded po-
litical reform and honest economy ; sympathized with
the agricultural classes ; demanded congressional aid for
rivers and harbors and liberal grants of public land in
the aid of the construction of railroads and other public
works, and particularly of the railroad from Portland to
Salt Lake, the construction of the Oregon Central from
St. Joseph to Junction City, the improvement of the Wil-
lamette River, and congressional aid for a wagon road
from Rogue-river Valley to the coast and Portland to The
Dalles ; opposed the purchase or lease of the locks at
Oregon City ; favored the repeal of the litigant law,
Portland charter, and the law for the increase of salaries
and. the schoolbook monopoly; favored the payment of
the expenses or claims growing out of the Indian wars
in 1872 and 1873 in Southern Oregon, and favored the
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 57
regulation of the sale of liquor so as to restrain abuses,
and favored the opening of the Wallowa Valley to settle-
ment.
The independent state convention which convenec). on
April 15, 1874, adopted a platform consisting of fifteen
resolutions, and condemned the extravagance of the state
and national administrations, and declared that there
was no ground to hope for a remedy for these evils
through the agencies of the two political parties that
had heretofore ruled the country. It condemned the
multiplication of offices, state and national ; favored
means, both state and national, which would give cheap
transportation, and to this end favored the construction
of a railroad to Salt Lake and the completion of the Ore-
gon and California Railroad to the south line of the state;
the construction of the Oregon Central from St. Joseph
to Junction City, and the completion of the same to
Astoria ; the construction of roads across the mountain
chains ; the wagon road from The Dalles to Portland,
and demanded that freight rates should be fixed by law,
state and national ; that there should be a return to the
salaries of the constitution, and a repeal of the law in-
creasing the same ; and a law protecting the state against
the extravagant charges of the state printer. It declared
itself in favor of the common schools and the repeal of
the schoolbook monopoly and litigant act ; it opposed
the purchase of the locks at Oregon City ; condemned
the swamp land legislation and the lease of the lands
thereunder ; declared that personal character was the
test of fitness for office ; expressed its desire to regulate
the liquor traffic by local precinct option and civil dam-
age laws, and noted, with approval, the uprising of the
agricultural masses.
At this time the Portland Bulletin was published as a
daily paper at Portland, Oregon, in opposition to the
58 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Oregon i an, and was considered the regular organ of the
republican party, and was edited by James O'Meara.
The democratic state convention which met April 26,
1876, adopted a platform consisting of three resolutions.
It declared for the common schools ; for religious free-
dom ; commended the lower house of congress for its
reforms, and reaffirmed the democratic platform for the
year 1874.
The republican state convention which met May 3,
1876, adopted a platform consisting of nine resolutions,
declaring its fidelity to the constitution and the Union ;
in favor of the preservation of the liberties of the people
and the impartial administration of the laws ; economy
in public office and in favor of public schools, protective
tariff, specie payment, and approved the resumption act;
favored the prosecution of all criminals, having special
reference to the star route and whisky ring, and other
scandals exposed by the democratic congress ; demanded
national candidates of tried integrity and in accord with
the fruits of the war ; denounced the present state ad-
ministration, which had contracted a debt of $300,000.
. It is thus seen that from 1865 up to 1874 the issues
which divided the people into two political parties were
practically those which grew out of the results of the
civil war and the legislation following the adoption of
the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments
to the constitution. It was not till 1874 that the old
issues which had hitherto divided the political parties of
the nation and state since 1861 ceased to be vital. The
period from 1865 to 1876, embraced in this paper, wit-
nessed that bitterness of political controversy and division
of the people growing out of the great issues settled by
the civil war and developed by the legislation rendered
necessary thereby.
It has not been the purpose in this paper to give ex-
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 69
pression of approval or disapproval to any political event,
platform, or action during the period named. The pur-
pose has been to record the chief events of a political
character, and to take note of some of the men who were
active in the public affairs of this state during that time.
APPENDIX A.
LEGISLATURE OF 1866.
The members of the senate were as follows:
Baker — S. Ison.
Benton — J. R. Bayley.
Clackamas — W. C. Johnson.
Grant — L. O. Stearns.
Jackson— J. N. T. Miller.
Lane — H. C. Huston.
Linn — R. H. Crawford, William Cyrus.
Marion — Samuel Brown, J. C. Cartwright
Multnomah — J. N. Dolph, David Powell.
Polk— W. D. Jeffries.
Umatilla— N. Ford.
The following- senators held over from the session of 1864:
Baker and Umatilla — James M. Pyle.
Douglas — James Watson.
Douglas, Coos, and Curry — G. S. Hinsdale.
Josephine — C. M. Caldwell.
Lane — S. B. Cranston.
Wasco — Z. Donnell.
Washington, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook — T. R. Cornelius.
Yamhill — Joel Palmer.
Members of the house:
Baker — A. C. Loring.
Baker and Union — W. C. Hindman.
Benton — F. A. Chenoweth, James Gingles.
Clackamas — J. D. Locey, J. D. Garrett, W. A. Starkweather.
Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook— Cyrus Olney.
Coos and Curry — F. G. Lockhart.
Douglas— B. Hermann, James Cole, M. M. Melvin.
Grant — Thomas H. Brentz, M. M. McKean.
60 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Jackson — E. D. Foudray, Giles Welles, John E. Ross.
Josephine — Isaac Fox.
Lane — John Whiteaker J. E. P. Withers, R. B. Cochran.
Linn— E. B. Moore, G. R. Helm, J. Q. A. Worth, J. R. South,
W. C. Baird.
Marion — J. I. O. Nicklin, W. E. Parris, C. B. Roland, L. S. Davis,
B. A. Witzell.
Multnomah — W. W. Upton, A. Rosenheim, J. P. Garlick, John
S. White.
Polk — J. Stouffer, J. J. Dempsey, William Hall.
Umatilla— T. W. Avery, H. A. Gehr.
Union — James Hendershott.
Wasco — O. Humason, F. T. Dodge.
Washington — G. C. Day, A. Hinman.
Yamhill — J. Lamson, R. R. Laughlin.
LEGISLATURE OF 1868.
SENATE.
Newly elected members :
Clackamas — D. P. Thompson.
Douglas, Coos, and Curry — B. Hermann, C. M. Persh baker.
Josephine — B. F. Holtzclaw.
Lane — R. B. Cochran.
Marion — Samuel Miller.
Multnomah — Lansing Stout.
Polk— B. F. Burch.
Union — James Hendershott.
Wasco — Victor Trevitt.
Washington, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook — T. R. Cornelius.
Yamhill — S. C. Adams.
Hold overs :
Baker — S. Ison.
Benton — J. R. Bayley.
Grant — John A. Dribblesby.
Jackson — J. N. T. Miller.
Lane — H. C. Huston.
Linn — William Cyrus, R. H. Crawford.
Marion — Samuel Brown.
Multnomah — David Powell.
Umatilla — N. Ford.
HOUSE.
Baker— R. Beers.
Baker and Union — D. R. Benson.
Benton — J. C. Alexander.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 61
Clackamas — J. W. Garrett, D. P. Trullinger.
Columbia, Clatsop, and Tillamook — W. D. Hoxter.
Coos and Curry — Richard Pendergast.
Douglas — John G. Flook, James F. Gazley, James Applegate.
Grant— R. W. Neal, Thomas E. Gray.
Jackson — J. B. White, Thomas Smith, J. L. Louden.
Josephine — Isaac Cox.
Lane— John Whiteaker, H. H. Gilfrey, E. N. Tandy.
Linn— John T. Crooks, John Bryant, B. B. Johnson, W. F. Alex-
ander, T. J. Stites.
Marion — John F. Denny, J. B. Lichten thaler, T. W. Davenport,
John Minto, David Simpson.
Multnomah — W. W. Chapman, T. A. Davis, James Powell.
Polk — R. J. Grant, F. Waymire, Ira S. Townsend.
Umatilla — A. L. Kirk.
Union — H. Rhinehart.
Wasco — D. W. Butler, George J. Ryan.
Washington — John A. Taylor, Edward Jackson.
Yamhill— W. W. Brown, G. W. Burnett.
LEGISLATURE OF 1870.
SENATE.
Newly elected members :
Baker — A. H. Brown.
Grant — J. W. Baldwin.
Jackson — James D. Fay.
Lane — A. W. Patterson.
Linn — Enoch Hoult, R. H. Crawford.
Marion — Samuel Brown, John H. Moores.
Multnomah — David Powell.
Umatilla — T. T. Lieuallen.
Hold overs :
Clackamas — D. P. Thompson.
Douglas, Coos, and Curry — C. M. Pershbaker.
Josephine — B. F. Holtzclaw.
Lane — R. B. Cochran.
Multnomah — L. Stout.
Union — J. Hendershott.
Wasco — Victor Trevitt.
Washington, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook— T. R. Cornelius.
HOUSE.
Baker — H. Porter.
Baker and Union — J. R. McLain.
62 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Benton— W. J. Kelly, W. J. Dunn.
Clackamas— J. T. Apperson, W. A. Starkweather, P. Paquet.
Clatsop — C. Olney.
Coos and Curry — P. G. Lockhart.
Douglas— C. M. Caldwell, J. C. Hutchinson, J. C. Drain.
Grant— J. M. McCoy, W. H. Clark.
Jackson— J. Rader, A. J. Burnett, J. Wells.
Josephine — A. L. Waldron.
Lane — John Whiteaker, G. B. Dorris, J. P. Amis.
Linn— W. P. Alexander, Thos. Hunkers, J. Ostrander, W. S.
Elkins, Geo. R. Helm.
Marion— W. R. Dunbar, J. M. Harrison, T. W. Davenport, Geo.
P. Holman, R. P. Earhart.
Multnomah— D. O'Regan, J. W. Whalley, L. P. W. Quimby, J.
C. Carson.
Polk — W. Comegys, R. J. Grant, B. Hayden.
Umatilla— P. A. Dashiel, J. Thompson.
Union — J. T. Hunter.
Wasco— O. S. Savage, J. Pulton.
Washington— W. A. Mills, W. D. Hare.
Yamhill — L. Laughlin, A. Hussey.
LEGISLATURE OP 1872.
SENATE.
Newly elected members:
Clackamas — John Myers.
Douglas, Coos, and Curry — J. P. Watson, G. Webster.
Josephine — E. N. Tolen.
Lane — W. W. Bristow.
Multnomah — J. N. Dolph.
Polk— R. S. Crystal.
Union — Samuel Hannah.
Wasco — William Monroe.
Washington, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook— T. R. Cornelius.
Yamhill— J. W. Cowles.
Hold overs:
Baker — Albert H. Brown.
Benton— R. S. Strahan.
Grant— J. W. Baldwin.
Jackson — James D. Fay.
Lane — A. W. Patterson.
Linn — R. H. Crawford, Enoch Hoult.
Marion— Samuel Brown, J. H. Moores.
Multnomah — David Powell.
Umatilla— T. T. Lieuallen.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 63
HOUSE.
Baker — J. B. Onstein.
Baker and Union — Dunham Wright.
Benton — James Gingles, Benjamin Simpson.
Clackamas — L. T. Barin, J. D. Crawford, N. N. Matlock.
Clatsop— John West.
Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook — Samuel Corwin.
Columbia — Thomas Hodgkins.
Coos and Curry— M. Rlley.
Douglas — G. W. Riddle, James T. Cooper, D. Bushey.
Grant— C. N. Thornbury, S. R. Johnson.
Jackson — Eli C. Mason, E. Walker, Nathaniel Langell.
Josephine — A. L. Waldon.
Lane— N. Martin, C. W. Washburn, A. S. Powers.
Linn— James Blakeley, R. B. Willoughby, N. H. Cranor, J. T.
Crooks, H. Shelton.
Marion— Rufus Mallory, John Downing, T. McP. Patton, Joseph
Engle, Wm. Darst.
Multnomah — J. B. Congle, J. P. Caples, Sol Hirsch, J. D. Biles.
Polk— J. H. White, J. C. Allen, R. Clow.
Umatilla — George A. LaDovv. James Curran.
Union — O. D. Andrews.
Wasco — T. J. Stephenson, R. Grant.
Washington— Thomas A. Stott, G. H. Collier.
Yamhill — A. R. Burbank, T. R. Harrison.
LEGISLATURE OF 1874.
SENATE.
Newly elected members :
Baker— John W. Wisdom.
Benton — J. B. Lee.
Benton and Polk— A. M. Witham.
Clackamas — J. W. Offield.
Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook— S. H. Smith.
Douglas — W. F. Owens.
Grant— William H. Clark.
Jackson— John S. Herrin.
Lane— R. B. Cochran.
Linn— S. D. Haley, Thomas R. Munkers, T. P. Goodman.
Marion— James A. Richardson, M. L. Savage, Joseph Engle.
Multnomah— Sol Hirsch, J. S. M. Van Cleave.
Umatilla— Charles L. Jewell.
Wasco — Elisha Barnes.
Yamhill— William Townsend, J. C. Braly.
64 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Hold overs:
Clackamas— John Myers.
Douglas, Coo*, and Curry — J. F. Watson, G. Webster.
Josephine — E. N. Tolin.
Lane— W. W. Bristow.
Multnomah — J. N. Dolph.
Polk— R. S. Crystal.
Union — Samuel Hannah.
Washington — T. R. Cornelius.
HOUSE.
Baker — C. G. Chandler, J. C. Wilson.
Benton — James Bruce, W. J. Kelly, James Chambers.
Clackamas — P. S. Noyer, J. M. Reed, Henry McGugin, S. P. Lee.
Columbia — J. S. Rinearson.
Coos — John P. Dully.
Coos and Curry — H. Blake.
Clatsop and Tillamook — W. R. Deane.
Douglas — G. W. Riddle. John C. Drain, Thomas Legerwood,
D. W. Stearns.
Grant — Bart Curl (contested).
Jackson — William J. Plymale, G. B. Van Riper, Thos. Wright.
Josephine — William Fidler.
Lane — A. J. Doak, J. D. Matlock, John McClung.
Linn — Joseph Lane, Jonathan Wassom, Harvey Shelton, Frank
Shedd, G. F. Crawford, A. W. Stanard.
Marion — C. A. Reed, David Simpson, Warren Cranston, William
Darst, F. X. Matthieu, A. N. Gilbert.
Multnomah — William Cornell, R. S. Jewett, Jacob Johnson, R.
Stott, John M. Gearin, P. Kelly.
Polk— David Stump, T. L. Butler, W. C. Brown.
Umatilla— T. Roe, U. Jackson, J. M. Partlow.
Union — Dunham Wright, W. W. Ross.
Wasco— E. B. Dufur, Robert Mays.
Yamhill — Lee Laughlin, E. C. Bradshaw, William Galloway.
LEGISLATURE OF 1876.
SENATE.
Newly elected members:
Benton and Polk — J. S. Palmer.
Clackamas — John Myers.
Coos and Curry — A. G. Brown.
Douglas — James Applegate, G. W. Colvig.
Josephine — D. L. Green.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 65
Lane — John Whiteaker.
Linn — S. D. Haley.
Multnomah— T. A. Davis, M. C. George.
Polk— L. Bently.
Union — M. Jasper.
Wasco and Lake— S. G. Thompson.
Washington — A. S. Watt.
Yamhill— E. C. Bradshaw.
Hold overs :
Baker — J. W. Wisdom.
Benton — J. B. Lee.
Clackamas— J. W. Offield.
Grant— W. H. Clark.
Jackson — John S. Herrin.
Lane — R. B. Cochran.
Linn— T. R. Munkers, T. P. Goodman.
Marion — M. L. Savage, J. A. Richardson, Joseph Engle.
Multnomah — J. S. M. Van Cleave.
Umatilla — C. L. Jewell.
Yamhill— J. C. Braly.
HOUSE.
Baker — A. J. Lawrence, I. D. Haines.
Benton— J. T. Hughes, R. A. Bensell, James Chambers.
Clackamas— J. M. Read, H. Straight, Jr., J. W. Cochran, Henry
Will.
Columbia— T. A. McBride.
Clatsop and Tillamook — R. W. Wilson.
Coos — R. H. Rosa.
Coos and Curry — E. J. Gould.
Douglas— W. F. Benjamin, E. A. Kirkpatrick, W. P. T. Grubbe,
M. M. Melvin.
Grant— F. Winnegar.
Jackson — Joseph Grain, J. M. McCall.
Josephine— W. W. Fidler.
Lane — A. D. Burton. R. B. Hayes, Rodney Scott, Allen Bond.
Linn — A. W. Stanard, T. L. Porter, J. T. Crooks, John Sumner,
J. K. Weatherford, B. R. Grimes.
Marion — Stephen Smith, F. R. Smith, A. N. Gilbert, D. Payton,
H. K. Hunsaker, William Porter.
Multnomah — R. H. Love, B. Z. Holmes, William Cornell, Gideon
Tibbetts, J. M. Scott, D. Goodsell, J. B. Roberts.
Polk — Stephen Staats, T. J. Hayter, J. B. Stump.
Umatilla — J. L. Morrow, W. S. Goodman.
Union — M. W. Mitchell, R. D. Ruckman.
5
66 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
Wasco — J. H. Mosier, D. W. Butler.
Washington— E. E. Fanning, D. M. C. Gault, C. T. Tozier.
Yamhill — William D. Fenton, J. L. Ferguson, J. J. Henderson.
General summary of taxable property for the years
1858 to 1875, inclusive :
1858 $ 22,824,118 00
1859 24, 181 , 669 15
1860 23, 886,951 00
1861 21,288,931 00
1862 19, 866, 125 50
1863 20,911,931 47
1864 22, 188, 153 48
1865 24,872,762 24
1866 - 25,560,312 63
1867 25, 893, 469 75
1868 26,746,862 25
1869 26, 919, 097 75
1870 29, 587, 846 25
1871 - 34,744,459 75
1872 37, 174, 168 94
1873 40, 700, 159 00
1874 40, 494, 236 00
1875 41,436,086 00
OFFICIAL ELECTION RETURNS, JUNE 5, 1866.
Congressman — Rufus Mallory, republican, ten thou-
sand three hundred and sixty -two votes ; James D. Fay,
democrat, nine thousand eight hundred and nine votes.
Governor — George L. Woods, republican, ten thousand
three hundred and sixteen votes ; James K. Kelly, dem-
ocrat, ten thousand and thirty-nine votes. Secretary of
State — Samuel E. May, republican, ten thousand three
hundred and eighty-seven votes ; Lafayette Lane, demo-
crat, nine thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven
votes. State Treasurer — E. N. Cooke, republican, ten
thousand three hundred and sixty-seven votes ; John C.
Bell, democrat, nine thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four votes. State Printer — W. A. McPherson, republi-
can, ten thousand four hundred and thirteen votes ;
James O'Meara, democrat, nine thousand six hundred
and forty-six votes.
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 67
GENERAL ELECTION JUNE 1, 1868.
Congressman — Jos. S. Smith, democrat, eleven thou-
sand seven hundred and fifty-four votes ; David Logan,
republican, ten thousand five hundred and fifty-five votes.
Legislature in 1866 — Senate : fourteen republicans,
eight democrats; house: twenty-four republicans, twenty
three democrats ; republican majority on joint ballot,
seven .
On March 21, 1868, it was advertised in the Daily Ore-
gonian that five hundred and twenty-five miles of the
Union Pacific railroad, running west from Omaha, had
been completed, and that it was expected that the road
would be completed and opened to the Pacific Coast
in 1870.
Legislative assembly for 1868 — Republicans, senate,
nine ; house, seventeen ; democrats, senate, thirteen ;
house, thirty. Democratic majority on joint ballot, sev-
enteen.
At the general election in 1868 David Logan received
one thousand one hundred and twenty-one votes, and
Joseph Smith one thousand one hundred and eighty-one
votes in Multnomah County. The presidential election
was held November 3, 1868, the republican electors re-
ceiving ten thousand nine hundred and sixty votes, and
the democratic receiving eleven thousand one hundred
and twenty-five votes. Total vote in June, 1868, twenty-
two thousand three hundred and sixty-nine ; total vote
in November, 1868, twenty-two thousand and eighty-five ;
total vote in November, 1864, eighteen thousand three
hundred and forty-five.
At the general election held June 6, 1870, Joseph G.
Wilson, republican candidate for congressman, received
eleven thousand two hundred and forty-five votes; James
H. Slater, democrat, eleven thousand five hundred and
68 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
eighty-eight votes. Gen. Joel Palmer, republican can-
didate for governor, received eleven thousand and ninety
five votes ; L. F. Grover, democrat, eleven thousand
seven hundred and sixty -two votes. James Elkins, re-
publican candidate for secretary of state, eleven thousand
one hundred and forty-two ; S. F. Chad wick, democrat,
eleven thousand six hundred and fifty -five votes. E.
Hirsch, republican, state treasurer, ten thousand nine
hundred and sixty-nine votes ; L. Fleischner, democrat,
eleven thousand five hundred and ninety -three votes.
State printer, H. R. Kincaid, republican, eleven thou-
sand one hundred and fifty-eight votes ; Thomas Patter-
son, democrat, eleven thousand five hundred and fifty-
nine votes. At this election A. J. Thayer, democrat,
was elected judge of the second judicial district by eighty-
six majority ; R. P. Boise, republican, judge of the third
judicial district, eighteen majority ; L. L. McArthur,
democrat, judge fifth judicial district, six hundred and
seventy-eight majority; H. K. Hanna, democrat, dis-
trict attorney first judicial district, one hundred and
ninety-six majority ; C. W. Fitch, democrat, district at-
torney second judicial district, sixty majority ; N. L.
Butler, democrat, district attorney third judicial district,
one hundred and nine majority; A. C. Gibbs, republi-
can, district attorney fourth judicial district, four hun-
dred and twelve majority; W. B. Las well, democrat,
district attorney fifth judicial district, six hundred and
sixty-nine majority.
At the general election held June 3, 1872, John Bur-
nett, democrat, congressman, received twelve thousand
three hundred and thirty-seven votes ; Joseph G. Wilson,
republican, thirteen thousand one hundred and eighty-
seven votes. Total vote in* June, 1872, twenty-five thou-
sand five hundred and four ; total vote in November,
1872, nineteen thousand and forty-nine. Legislative
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 69
assembly, 1872 — Senate: republicans, twelve; house,
thirty-two; democrats, senate, ten; house, seventeen.
Republican majority on joint ballot, seventeen. At that
election Wilson received two thousand and eighty-four
votes in Multnomah County ; John Burnett, one thou-
sand one hundred and eighty-five votes. Joseph N.
Dolph, state senator, one thousand nine hundred and
sixty-five votes ; Al Zieber, democrat, one thousand one
hundred and seventy votes. Presidential election No-
vember 5, 1872 : Grant electors, eleven thousand eight
hundred and eighteen votes ; Greeley electors, seven
thousand seven hundred and forty-two votes ; 0 'Con-
ner, five hundred and eighty-seven votes. State election
June 1, 1874 — L. F. Grover, democrat, governor, nine
thousand seven hundred and thirteen votes: J. C. Tol-
t
man, republican, nine thousand one hundred and thirteen
votes, and T. F. Campbell, independent, six thousand five
hundred and thirty-two votes. State election June 5,
1876 — No state or congressional candidate voted for, but
on November 7, 1876, Richard Williams was elected to
congress, receiving fifteen thousand three hundred and
forty-seven votes, over Lafayette Lane, democrat, receiv-
ing fourteen thousand two hundred and twenty-nine
votes. The republican electors at the same election
received fifteen thousand two hundred and six votes ;
democratic electors, fourteen thousand one hundred and
thirty-six votes.
Population of Oregon February 12, 1859, fifty-two
thousand four hundred and sixty-five. Census 1870,
ninety thousand seven hundred and seventy-six. Port-
land; Oregon, in 1860, had two thousand eight hundred
and sixty-eight and in 1870 eight thousand two hundred
and ninety-three inhabitants. Assessed value of the
State of Oregon, 1860, $19,024,915; in 1870, $31,798,-
70 WILLIAM D. FENTON.
510. Miles of railroad in Oregon in 1860, four ; in .1863,
four ; in 1866 to 1869, nineteen ; in 1870, one hundred
and fifty-nine.
In 1875 Henry Warren, republican, congressman, re-
ceived nine thousand one hundred and six and Lafayette
Lane, democrat, nine thousand three hundred and sev-
enty-three votes. In 1873 Hiram Smith, republican, re-
ceived six thousand one hundred and twenty-three and
J. W. Nesmith, democrat, eight thousand one hundred
and ninety-four votes.
NOTE.— It has been stated in the first paper ( page 334, December Quarterly)
that John R. McBride was the republican nominee for the first congressman for
Oregon at the election in 1858, but that he was defeated by L. P. Grover. While
he was the republican nominee as stated, he was not defeated by Mr. Grover.
The republicans practically withdrew his name from the election, and threw their
votes to James K. Kelley, who had been nominated by the National democrats.
The contest was practically between two democrats. Grover receiving five
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine votes, Kelley, four thousand one hundred
and ninety. Bancroft, speaking of this incident, says: "At the election in 1858,
there were three parties in the field; Oregon democrats, National democrats, and
republicans. The National faction could not get beyond a protest against tyran-
ny. It nominated J. K. Kelley for representative in congress, and E. M. Barnum
for governor. The republicans nominated an entire ticket, with John R. McBride
for congressman, and John Denny for governor. Feeling that the youth and in-
experience of these candidates could not hope to win against the two democratic
candidates, the republicans, with the consent of McBride, voted for Kelley, whom
they liked and whom they hoped not only to elect, but to bring over to their par-
ty.—Bancroft's Works, vol. 30, page 430.
From "Recollections of Seventy Years," by William Barlow.
Quite a remarkable coincidence in name and purpose
is evident from the facts that Dr. Samuel K. Barlow of
Massachusetts was the first man to propose a transcon-
tinental railroad across the Rocky Mountains, and that
Samuel K. Barlow of Kentucky, a generation later, pro-
posed and executed the first wagon road over the Cascade
Mountains, thus completing the circuit of one third of the
land circumference of the globe. The life action of the
latter fully realized the thought of the former.
Samuel Kimbrough Barlow was of Scotch descent and
was imbued with the spirit of that type of men who fear
not. In 1844 he worked with might and main to elect
the great Kentuckian, whom the nation failed to honor.
Failure with Mr. Barlow was not dispair, but renewed
and tactful ardor. He was a whole emergency corps in
himself. The nation failed to elect Clay, so Mr. Barlow
declared his determination to go where he could not feel
the force of the failure.
Illinois became the stepping stone to the final goal —
Oregon. S. K. Barlow was captain of one of the large
immigration companies of 1845. Five thousand men,
women, and children moved out of Independence, Mis-
souri, westward bound, armed with the spirit of the name
of the lonely little town left behind. There were about
one thousand wagons, all under the leadership of Dr.
William Welch. But independence soon prevailed and
each little company became a law unto itself. At Fort
72 MARY S. BARLOW.
Hall about half the wagons parted from those destined
for California and continued on without unusual incident
to The Dalles, Oregon. This was the supposed terminus
of the wagon road for all time. An Indian trail was
known and used by many for the transportation of house-
hold goods, etc., by pack horses, or for cattle droves, but
no man had been courageous enough to undertake the
supposed impossible journey. Captain Barlow was out-
spoken in his determination to try the untried mountain
passes. He said : "God never made a mountain that he
had not made a place for some man to go over it or under
it. I am going to hunt for that place, but I ask no one
who feels in the least the force of the word 'can't' to
accompany me.' Members of his own family had implicit
faith in his ability to find what he sought, so did not
hesitate to follow. The Barlows had plenty of provisions
to last two months, their cattle and horses were in good
condition, and there was money enough to furnish any
comfort necessary for a continuance of the time and dis-
tance if courage sanctioned inclination.
At last the start was made, about the first of October,
1845. Those who signified their willingness to try the
untried with Mr. Barlow were his wife, Susannah Lee,
his eldest son William, aged twenty-two, James and
John Lawson Barlow, two younger sons, Mrs. Sarah
Barlow-Gaines, her husband, Albert Gaines, and their
two daughters, now Mrs. Rhinehart of Seattle, and Mrs.
G. B. Curry of La Grande, and Miss Jane Barlow, after-
wards Mrs. A. F. Hedges. Those who joined the Bar-
lows were William Rector and wife, Mr. Gessner and
wife, J. C. Caplinger and wife, John Bacon, William
Berry, and several children. The entire party numbered
nineteen men and women, besides children. Their able
assistants were seven horses, thirteen wagons, sixteen
yoke of cattle, and one dog. The party drove to Five
HISTORY OF THE BARLOW ROAD. 73
Mile Creek, where water and grass were plentiful for
stock, and here they halted several days for rest and
repairs.
During the stay here Samuel K. Barlow left for a recon-
noitering trip. A low sink w^as observed from the Blue
Mountains, and to that point the observing pioneer di-
rected his attention. After several days' absence, he
returned full of dauntless courage to proceed. Mr. Wm.
H. Rector then volunteered to accompany Mr. Barlow
and help make the preliminary surveys of the untried
route. "You are just the man I need,' Mr. Barlow said.
"You are young, stout, .and resolute; so come right
along.' The teams were in fine condition, hopes were
buoyant, and "On, on," were the watchwords. The pro-
visions and tools were divided so all could fare alike, we
started. A drive of twenty-five or thirty miles brought
us to Tygh Valley, where we rested a day and prepared
for the trying ordeal of the next few days. From our
captain's report we knew a long hill, a deep canyon, and
a long stretch of dry land lay in front of us. The old gent
quietly determined to take us beyond these barriers him-
self, feeling that once beyond them, the memory would
not only deter us from a desire of retracing our steps, but
rather encourage a forward movement. Plenty of wood
and water would then be on every hand. At this point
it was determined that Mr. Barlow and Mr. Rector should
leave us for another contemplated reconnoitering move-
ment. Armed with an ax, a gun, a few blankets, light
provisions, and plenty of resolute will, the two pathfind-
ers struck out to strike the first steel blade into the pri-
meval forest of the Cascade Mountains. The remainder
of the party was divided into two forces ; one, a working
party of about ten men and boys, was to cut out the road
after the blazers ; the other, composed of the women and
children and two boys to assist, was to follow the road
74 MARY S. BARLOW.
builders. The greatest deficiency we felt was the lack
of good tools. Old rusty axes and saws, young and ten-
der muscles, and big trees were quite incompatible. But
pluck and necessity compelled action, so we hacked away
and went on. The east side of the Cascades is but slightly
timbered ; our teams passed around and under the pine
and hemlock trees with ease, but on the west side the
trees were thick and the underbrush made every yard or
foot even an impassable barrier to our wagons, till ax,
saw, or fire demolished or burned the barriers away.
Days and weeks passed and no tidings of the road
hunters came. Our men had cut to the head or source
of the Little Des Chutes River, close to Mount Hood. The
wagons had advanced but twelve miles. We stopped at
the long but not very steep hill and waited for the road
hunters to return to give us hopeful prospects, for we
did not wish to descend it for fear we might have to
ascend it again if the fiat were to be, "Thus far and no
farther."
The spot where we waited and rested was most beau-
tiful. But for our anxiety for the absent pathfinders,
our fears of the winter snows coming on, and the fast
diminishing supply ofwhat we considered our ample sup-
ply of provisions, we should have enjoyed the panorama
like a Mazama. Our anxiety was of short duration, how-
ever, for about dark a few davs after our halt rifle shots
tf
heralded the approach of those whom we awaited. The
return salute from half a dozen rifles made the woods
ring for miles around. " Tallows" were lighted and men,
women, and children went with a rush to meet the stal-
wart pioneers and learn the fate of future movements.
Greetings over, the first thing the old gent said was,
"Don't give us much to eat; a little coffee must be
food and stimulant too.' Mr. Rector said: "Speak
for yourself, Barlow ; I am going to eat whatever my
HISTORY OF THE BARLOW ROAD. 75
good wife will cook for me at this late hour. You
would not let me eat those big snails, nor eat you, so
now I'm going to do as I please.' Mrs. Rector, how-
ever, did not please to be over lavish in her supply for
that meal, so no disaster followed.
In the morning all gathered around to hear the result
of the advance expedition. Mr. Rector spoke first and
said: "We have found a good route for a road, but it
will be a very hazardous journey this time of the year.
I dread the possibility of the danger for my wife, so we
have concluded to return to The Dalles.' Mr. Barlow,
wishing to allay fear and dread on the part of others,
spoke quickly, "Mr. Rector, you are at liberty to do as
you please. If I had any fears of losing any of my com-
pany on account of the road, I would not say 'Go' to
any of them ; but I know we can go on from here and
reach the summit of the Cascades, the mountains we
have started in to overcome. If we can not go on from
there we will build a cache for our surplus wagons and
baggage and leave two of our trusty young men to guard
them. We, ourselves, will follow the trail we have just
made, and soon reach the civilization of the Northwest.'
All except Mr. Rector and wife determined to advance,
and preparations began at once. Wm. Berry and Wm.
Barlow agreed to take charge of the wagons until the
condition of the weather and road would permit their
being brought out.
It was now late in November. The snow was liable
to blockade us at any day, so it was decided to send the
cattle over the Indian trial at once. Wm. Barlow was
to accompany James A. Barlow and John L. Barlow over
the mountain as far as the main Sandy road. Here he
would procure what supplies he could and return to the
hungry men and women in the mountains. The old
Indian trail was marked out by the Indians regardless
76 MARY S. BARLOW.
of altitude and snow, which to them were not such insur-
mountable barriers as the trees and underbrush. Their
tomahawks and scalping knives were not sufficient to cut
away logs and trees, so they went around them. When
they came to a log they could not avoid, they hacked a
notch in it just deep and wide enough for their adroit
little ponies to jump over. These narrow passes often
caused damage, and even death, to many cattle.
We were two days in going over Mount Hood trail.
Leaving the young men on the established road to Fos-
ter's, Wm. Barlow returned to camp and assisted in build-
ing a safe and snug cache for the goods and a cabin for
the men who were to care for all the emigrants' worldly
goods that winter. On account of the limited supply of
food, it was decided that Wm. Berry should remain alone
and await the return of Wm. Barlow, the writer, in Janu-
ary. Wagons were worth from $150 to $200 in the valley,
and twenty wagons were indispensable to the pioneers at
any price. Captain Barlow packed the horses snugly with
women, children, and provisions and started over the
last and most dangerous part of the route — the coastal
side of the Cascades. Then it wras that hard times
came. Whortleberry swamps confronted us frequently,
and many a time all had to wade through them, as the
horses mired with the least load upon them. The best
time we could make was from three to five miles a day.
A snowstorm coming on covered the ground with a foot of
snow, leaving nothing for our horses to eat except laurel,
which was supposed to be poisonous. Something caused
the death of one of our few horses. The hams were cut
out and saved for an emergency. Mrs. Caplinger and
some of the others became much disheartened and be-
moaned the fate of "doubly dying' of starvation and
cold. Mrs. Gaines, Mr. Barlow's oldest child, laughed
at their fears and said, "Why, we are in the midst of
HISTORY OP THE BARLOW ROAD. 77
plenty, — plenty of snow, plenty of wood to melt it,
plenty of horse meat, plenty of dog meat if the worst
comes.' Notwithstanding this courageous spirit it was
deemed best to send John M. Bacon and Wm. Barlow
on foot into Foster's settlement for more supplies. Mr.
Bacon had been an indispensable man all along the route,
as he was a tailor by trade, and his needle was always
busy on clothing or harness.
We started out with our scanty quota of coffee and
four small biscuits. A dull chopping ax was the only
tool that could be spared for our purposes. We knew
the necessity of haste. With snow over everything but
the poison laurel, our horses were forced to eat it and
die, or to starve and die. Then came the thought of our
families having to eat the flesh of poisoned horses, pos-
sibly to die from its effects ; or, if they lived, to walk
out over the snow and barely exist on scanty allowance.
We therefore went down Laurel Hill like "shot off of a
shovel," and in less time than two hours' we had to look
back to see the snow. We soon struck the Big Sandy
trail and our troubles were over. The only danger was
in crossing the stream so many times. In many places
we found drift or boulders for stepping stones, but at one
place we had to chop down a big tree and take the
chance on its falling on a small rock in the middle of
the turbulent water. The chance was lost, for the tree
broke as it fell and washed away. We then concluded
to prepare a good supper of coffee and biscuits. But
poor John drew a long breath and said, "Will, I'm sorry
and ashamed to tell you that I lost those four biscuits in
the stream. I slipped and fell in stepping on a boulder,
and away went the bread and I could not catch it.' I
never really suspected that John ate them, but for fun
replied, "I thought it would be hard to catch anything
on its way to a hungry man's breadbasket.'
78 MARY S. BARLOW.
In the morning I determined to cross that stream. I
cut a ten-foot vaulting pole, and placing it firmly on the
bottom among the boulders, I braced myself against it
and sprang. I reached the island. Again I ventured to
reach the opposite shore, and surprised myself by suc-
ceeding. There were no flags or horns to herald ap-
proval, but Bacon's cheers and my own feelings of vic-
tory, and what it meant to my mother, father, all in the
mountains, were sufficient. I sang "good-bye" to Bacon,
and bounded away to Foster's, eight miles further on,
for food and rescue. In three hours I was with my
brothers, James and ''Dock,' and sent them posthaste
to Oregon City for men, food, and horses. I remained
to rest and recuperate my half-famished condition. The
next morning we were ready to retrace our steps and
carry the much needed succor. To our surprise we met
the emigrants that evening. They had moved steadily
on, knowing that the distance was short and that food,
raiment, and rest were near at hand. We followed the
blazed road and it led us to a safe crossing over the
treacherous Sandy. The next day, December 23, 1845,
the whole party arrived at Foster's haven. Food was
set before us in abundance, but we out heralded Tan-
talus himself and ate sparingly. The roads were still
pretty good, and we felt that there should be no rest for
the weary till Oregon City was reached. We accord-
ingly pushed on with most of our party, and arrived
at our final destination, Oregon City, December 25, 1845,
just eight months and twenty-four days from Fulton
County, Illinois.
The first winter in Oregon was spent without incident
of note. Many of our company bought land or took up
donation claims and went to work with a purpose and
earnestness worthy of true pioneers.
Samuel K. Barlow for many years after made annual
HISTORY OF THE BARLOW ROAD. 79
trips into the mountain wilds. Finally old age compelled
him to enjoy these trips in reminiscences only, and many
are the recitals he gave with accurate memory of events
indelibly stamped to his children and children's children.
In the summer of 1846, after the Provisional govern-
ment had been established, S. K. Barlow made applica-
tion for a charter to make a wagon road over the Cascade
Mountains south of Mount Hood. Permission was readily
granted. About forty road workers started out under the
personal supervision of Mr. Barlow. They improved the
condition generally, cutting down grades here and there,
building bridges, making corduroy, and widening the
road everywhere. Two thirds of the immigration of
1846 came over this road and fully if not more than that
proportion availed themselves of this continuous route
in subsequent years. Thus the hazards and expense of
the Columbia River route were obviated. A few miles
extra on the long journey were less trouble than to make
a transfer of goods to the bateaux at The Dalles.
The road was about eighty miles long ; sixty-five miles
of it were cut through the primeval forests, canyons,
creeks, and rivers of the Cascade mountains and slopes.
It began at the western side of Tygh Valley and followed
the Indian path for about fifteen miles. In Mr. Barlow's
first reconnoitering tour his observations led him to deter-
mine to blaze out the road over the natural passes he then
and there discovered. Subsequently Mr. Rector approved
of the route and together they confirmed its possibility,
wrhich was afterwards fully determined to be the natural
and most practicable route by immigrations from 1845 to
the present day. The late Judge Matthew P. Deady said
of this road : "The construction of the Barlow road con-
tributed more towards the prosperity of the Willamette
Valley and the future State of Oregon than any other
80 MARY S. BARLOW.
achievement prior to the building of the railways in
1870."
In 1848 the road was made a toll road by a charter
from the Provisional government. A toll of $5.00 for
each wagon and $1.00 for a single head of stock was
charged to balance accounts. Many were unable to pay
the toll, but readily gave their promises to settle in the
future. Mr. Barlow, after two seasons, thinking he had
reimbursed himself for his outlay, turned the road over
to the territory and it became a free highway for the
future immigrants to the Willamette Valley. Little or
no repairs were made to it after it became public prop-
erty and it soon relapsed into an almost impassable con-
dition. Immigrants lost many times the toll in the loss
of their stock, besides having delays, hardships, and nu-
merous annoyances. After several years, Mr. Barlow
found that the promises of many who desired to pay toll
had been forgotten. Thus the scheme was not a profit-
able one, but one which always gave satisfaction to the
pioneer spirit of its builder.
Messrs. Foster and Young afterwards rechartered the
road and kept it in fairly good repair by the income in toll.
Later, Hon. F. 0. McCown of Oregon City, organized a
stock company for its improvement. Many of the diffi-
cult passes are avoided in the new route, but practically
the same general direction is followed as that blazed by
the pioneer road builders of 1845.
Samuel K. Barlow was born in Nicholas County, Ken-
tucky, January 24, 1795. He was thoroughly pioneer in
every respect ; in religion, an investigator ; in politics,
an independent whig ; in character, moral and honest ;
in customs, unconventional ; in all things, himself.
In 1848 Mr. Barlow paid $3,000 for the entire donation
claim of Thomas McKay. After "proving up" on it by
a four years' residence he sold it to William Barlow, its
HISTORY OF THE BARLOW ROAD. 81
present owner. The last few years of S. K. Barlow's life
were spent in Caneraab, near Oregon City, where he died
July 14, 1867. He was buried by the side of his wife at
Barlow's Prairie, where a monument marks the final
resting place of the builder of the first road over the Cas-
cade Mountains.
MARY S. BARLOW.
6
JEYEPTY
Extracts from the journal of John Ball of his trip across the Rocky Mountains,
and his life in Oregon, compiled by his daughter.
John Ball was the youngest of ten children born on
Tenny's Hill, Hebron, Grafton County, New Hampshire,
November 12, 1794. His father, Nathaniel Ball, whose
ancestors came from England, settled in the county of
Worcester, Massachusetts.
The subject of this sketch was born in a log cabin, and
his earliest recollection was the building of a frame house,
into which the family moved when he was but three years
old. His childhood was spent on this farm. Of school
he had but very little before he was twenty years old.
Being anxious for an education, after much urging, his
father consented to his leaving home. In 1814 he was
sent to a clergyman in Groton, the next town. Thence
he went to Salisbury Academy, and entered Dartmouth
College in 1816, spending his summer vacation on the
farm, and teaching what he could during the winters.
He was graduated in 1820. The late George P. Marsh
was a classmate.
After graduating he went to Lansingburgh, New York,
where his youngest sister (the late Mrs. Deborah Powers)
lived, and studied law, teaching school to meet necessary
expenses. In 1822 he fancied he could better himself, and
took passage from New York City for Darien, Georgia.
Arriving off the coast of that state, a violent storm came
on, and in attempting to reach an "inland' passage by
St. Catherine's Sound the vessel grounded on a bar five
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 83
miles from land, causing a complete wreck. This hap-
pened after dark, but all stuck to the ship until daybreak,
as the wind was blowing a gale. All were saved but two
negroes, who would not leave the ship. The others were
picked up by a vessel bound for Darien. At Darien he
read law and taught school. After six months he gladly
returned north and resumed his studies in Lansingburgh.
In the summer of 1824 he was examined by the supreme
court in session at Utica, New York, and was admitted as
an attorney at law. The celebrated Aaron Burr was pres-
ent as court counsel. In 1827 he was elected justice of
the peace of Rensselaer County, holding that office and
practicing law until 1829, when the sudden death of his
brother-in-law, Mr. Wm. Powers, June 24, 1829, who had
just started in the floor oilcloth manufacturing business,
obliged him to close his office in order to relieve his sister
in trouble and settle Mr. Powers' estate. This he did in
two and one half years, having paid up all the debts of
nearly $10,000. Knowing that his sister was now well
provided for, Mr. Ball left Lansingburgh January 1, 1832,
to join Capt. N. J. Wyeth's expedition to Oregon, at Balti-
more. A trip of this kind had been one of the dreams of
his life.
One of the parties of the Lewis and Clark expedition in
1803-6 was John Ordway, a neighbor of his father, who
filled his youthful imagination by the stories he told. He
had been in correspondence with Captain Wyeth of Bos-
ton, whom he had learned was arranging to journey to
Oregon by land. On his way to Baltimore he stopped in
New York and met a young man named J. Sinclair, who
went with him to Oregon. He called on Ramsey Crooks,
one of the men in John Jacob Astor's fur enterprise.
At Washington he met General Ashley, who carried on
the first fur trade across the plains. General Ashley was
then a member of congress from Missouri. Mr. Ball
84 JOHN BALL.
called at the White House to see General Jackson, of
whom he was a great admirer. The story of this journey
is perhaps best and most succinctly told by extracts from
Mr. Ball's journal, which opens as follows :
I met Captain Wyeth in Baltimore March 18, 1832. The company
were in uniform dress. Each wore a coarse woolen jacket and panta-
loons, a striped cotton shirt and cowhide boots. Each had a musket,
some had rifles. All had bayonets on their broad belts, with a large
clasp knife for eating and general use. Some had pistols, but each
had also a small axe or hatchet in their belts. To complete this outfit
were utensils for cooking, tents, camp kettles, and blankets. Each
man paid Captain Wyeth $40 to defray expenses by wheel or steam-
boat.
We went by railroad to Frederick, sixty miles over the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad by horse power. This was then the longest rail-
road in the country. It had been built at enormous expense, and was
constructed on a plan very unlike the present. A flat iron rail was
used and was riveted onto granite blocks or stringers. The winter
frost had so displaced these blocks that it was very rough. The rail-
road cuts gave a fresh and fine view of the geology of the country ;
the granite, the strata of marble of the BJue Ridge, and the Alleghany
sandstone.
We arrived at Frederick March 29. From there we walked, hav-
ing a wagon for our baggage, and then we commenced our camplife.
We pitched our tents by the roadside, and built fires to cook by. So
we continued on the National road to Brownsville, on the Monongahela
River. There we took a steamboat for Pittsburgh, then a small village
of smoke and dirt. April 8 we took a steamboat, "The Freeman,"
down the Ohio River to Saint Louis, Missouri. We stopped at Cin-
cinnati April 12 for a day. It was a mere village, the buildings being
of wood and of no great pretensions. The river had been so high that
it had flooded the village, doing much damage. We passed Marietta,
distinguished for its mounds, resembling modern fortifications, but
doubtless the work of aborigines, now extinct. There was, too, a creek
about a hundred miles from Pittsburgh, called "Seneka Oil Creek,"
which would blaze on the application of a match.
Captain Wyeth lessened our expenses (or tried to) by bargaining
with the captain of the steamboat, that we should assist in helping
bring wood on the boat. The sail from Cincinnati to Saint Louis was
interesting, and passing the falls or rapids of the Ohio in the vicinity
of Louisville was especially exciting. We arrived at Saint Louis
April 18, 1832. Here we hoped to meet some of the traders who were
going west on their annual trip, and called on Mr. Mackenzie, one of
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 85
the fur traders, who afterwards sold his interest to William Sublette.
He informed us that Mr. Sublette expected to start from Lexington,
Missouri, about May 1. Mr. Mackenzie kindly arranged for us to go
up the Missouri River on the steamboat "Otto," which went up two
hundred and sixty miles. As we steamed away from Saint Louis we
passed a company of soldiers sailing up the Mississippi on their way
to fight the Black Hawk Indians, where Chicago now stands. After
we had gone about one hundred miles up the Missouri we struck a big
sand bar, extending across the river. Our boat drew six feet of water
and here was but three feet. The boat could do nothing except keep
her nose in the sand bar and wait until the sand had washed away.
This was pretty tedious and most of us got tired, and going ashore,
walked on to Lexington, reaching there before the boat did. When
we stopped for food or lodging we were hospitably received and fed.
An extract from a letter of his printed in the New
Hampshire Statesman from Lexington, gives Mr. Ball's
impression of Missouri at that early date :
LEXINGTON, Missouri, April 29, 1832.
Yesterday I walked thirty miles over prairies. Although somewhat
rolling, it has the appearance of a vastness like the ocean. The river
bottoms are wooded, as are also the hills, extending a few miles back.
There is much cottonwood (a kind of poplar) on the islands and river
banks. By the way, islands are constantly forming in the Missouri
River, and as rapidly as they emerge above the surface the cottonwood
tree springs up spontaneously. The bottoms are skirted with limestone
bluffs, which continue for a few miles, and are again broken. This
region affords a rich field for botany. Vegetation begins to spring
forth but it is not as forward as I expected. The season is said to be
late. Grass on the prairies is from six to twelve inches high, except
where it has been burned over (as it mostly has been) and there it is
not as thick; still fine herds of cattle of a hundred head or more are
seen grazing upon it.
There is not a sufficient supply of good water, nor should I think it
very healthy from the circumstances of the people. The bed of the
Missouri is a quicksand, mixed with soil. The water is the color of
well-creamed coffee. After drinking it and shutting the mouth one
can feel the grit. But still thus it flows eternally on at four knots per
hour.
Here we take our final outfit, which done we start forth, leaving
civilization and all the comforts of social life behind us. It will be
necessary to obtain forty or fifty horses to carry our goods and ourselves
part of the time. Our path launches off on a prairie south of the river
86 JOHN BALL.
that ends in the mountains. The distance is said by the hunters to be
from one to two thousand miles (but doubtless these estimates are much
exaggerated). The inhabitants of this region know more of the moun-
tains and Santa Fe than of New York or New England. Our party
goes with one of sixty men (Mr. William Sublette, our captain, is a well
known trader,) to the headwaters of the Lewis River. He is the best
guide of the country.
The narrative is again taken from Mr. Ball's journal :
We found that William Sublette and his men were encamped near
Independence, Missouri. He readily consented to our joining his men;
we must be under his full command and take our share in guarding
camp and in defending in case of an attack by the Indians. Here we
purchased more horses, having bought a few at Lexington to carry
our baggage. Here a Mr. Campbell and his party also joined Mr.
Subletted party, making in all a party of eighty men and three hun-
dred horses. Captain Wyeth's party consisted of twenty-five men. We
took with us fifteen sheep and two yoke of oxen. Each man was to
have charge of three horses, two packs and one to ride. We also took
some extra horses in case some were stolen or worn out.
We were kept in strict military order, and marched double file.
Those first ready took their places next to the commander. We always
camped in the form of a hollow square, making a river or stream the
fourth side. The horses were hobbled (fore feet tied) and turned out
of camp to feed. When brought into camp at night they were left
hobbled, and were tied to stakes driven close to the ground, giving
each horse as much room as could be spared him within the square.
The watch changed every four hours. If found asleep, the watch was
obliged to walk the next day for punishment. Captain Sublette's camp
calls were as follows: "Catchup; catch up," which was at sunset.
Then each man brought his horses into camp. At dawn the call was
"Turn out; turn out," and then horses were turned out of camp to
feed, while we breakfasted. Then the horses were saddled and packed.
At noon a stop was always made for half an hour. The horses were
unpacked to rest them, each horse carried one hundred and eighty
pounds. Not being able to trot with this load, they soon formed the
habit of walking fast.
There was so little dew or rain that we did not need our tents, so
we slept on the ground wrapped in our blankets, our saddles for pil-
lows. I always wrapped myself first in my camlet cloak, pulling the
cape over my head to shut off the wind or moon. This was our camp
routine until we reached the Rocky Mountains.
May 12— Left Independence, traveling west on the Santa Fe road.
The fifteenth we left Santa Fe trail, going northwest to the Kansas
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 87
River to a government agency there. The country was mostly hilly,
the hills being of shell-filled sandstone and boulders of quartz and
granite. The last white man we saw was a blacksmith for the Indians,
who had his smithy on the Kansas, near where Lawrence now is.
We passed an Indian village, which was entirely deserted, as all
had gone buffalo hunting. The Indians always go out for buffalo once
a year and bring home the meat to dry for winter. Their wigwams
were made by sticking poles in the ground in circular form, covering
the whole with buffalo skins, and leaving an opening at the top for the
smoke to get out. Here we found game and honey in abundance, but
no Indians.
May 21 — We encamped on a branch of the Kansas called the Big
Blue, which we crossed the next day and passed Captain Bonneville's
party on a trading excursion by wagon. We stopped a few moments
to salute and passed on. The next day we passed another Indian vil-
lage, probably winter quarters. There were holes dug in the ground
some five or six feet deep and covered with split plank or brush, so
making warm quarters in severe weather. But this, too, was deserted.
We kept up the waters of the Blue to its source, and thence reached the
Platte in one day's march of twenty-five miles over barren, dry prairie.
We found no timber of any amount after leaving the waters of the
Blue. We could not carry our percussion caps on our guns for fear of
discharging them, the air was so very dry. We reached the Platte
opposite a big island, probably Grand Island, on May 28, and continued
up the Platte a hundred and sixty-five miles to junction of the forks,
which we reached June 2.
The Platte is a broad, turbulent stream and warm. Its bed is a
mile or two wide. Here we saw the first buffalo and ate our last meal
of packed provisions.
There was a great deal of grumbling among Captain Wyeth's men.
Some deserted and turned back. We all felt gnawings of hunger and
were very thirsty. The warm water of the Platte was not refreshing.
June 3 we saw a frightful drove of buffalo appearing as far as the eye
could reach, as if the ground was a sea of them. Such armies of them
see and fear nothing. Sublette's men killed ten or twelve, of which
we had only two. The others the wolves carried off.
The warm water of the Platte caused diarrhoea. Dr. Jacob Wyeth,
the captain's brother, was quite ill. But for the guidance of Captain
Sublette we must have perished for the want of subsistence in this
desert of the Missouri.
June 4— We crossed the south branch after we had gone some fifty
miles from the forks, and a short ride of ten miles over the bluffs
brought us to the North Platte. There was little timber along this
stream. We continued up this river two hundred and eighty-seven
88 JOHN BALL.
miles. June 8 we killed some more buffalo as they came out of the
water. There was great sameness of the scenery, and we passed
many trails but saw no Indians yet.
June 10 — We saw ahead of us a bio: castle on a small mountain. As
we approached it, it appeared like a big tower of sandstone standing-
alone. It was called the "Chimney Rock," and is probably three
hundred feet high. On the south side of the Platte were immense
herds of buffalo.
June 12 — We arrived at the Laramie Fork of the Platte. It was
high, cold, and rapid, and comes from the mountains of the same
name. The banks of this stream were covered with willows. Here
we made a halt to make "bull boats " and rafts to carry ourselves and
goods across.
A "bull boat " is made of willow branches twelve or fourteen feet
long, each about one and one half inches at the butt end. These ends
were fixed in the ground in converging- rows at proper distances from
each other, and as they approached nearer the ends the branches were
brought nearer together so as to form something like a bow. The
ends of the whole were brought together and bound firmly together
like ribs of a great basket ; and then they took other twigs of willow
and wove them into those stuck in the ground so as to make a sort of
firm, long, huge basket. After this was completed they sewed together
a number of buffalo skins and with them covered the whole ; and after
the different parts had been trimmed off smooth, a slow fire was made
under the "bull boat," taking care to dry the skins moderately; and
as they gradually dried and acquired a due degree of heat they rubbed
buffalo tallow all over the outside of it so as to allow it to enter into
all the seams of the concern, now no longer a willow basket. As the
melted tallow ran down into every seam, hole, and crevice, it cooled
into a firm body, capable of resisting the water and bearing a consid-
erable blow without damage. Then the willow-ribbed buffalo skin
tallowed vehicle was carefully pulled from the ground — behold! a boat,
capable of transporting men, horses, and goods over a pretty strong
current.
At the sight of it we Yankees all burst into a loud laugh, whether
from surprise or pleasure I do not know. Captain Wyeth made a raft
against the advice of Captain Sublette, who did not believe the ropes
strong enough to stand against the current. However, Captain Wyeth
was not a man easily diverted by the advice of others.
We fixed a rope to our raft and with some difficulty got the other
end across the river by a man swimming with the rope in his mouth.
He fastened the rope to a tree, and we loaded our raft with our anvil,
large vise, and other valuable articles belonging to the smithery, bar
iron, steel traps, and alas ! a cask of powder and a small number of
valuable articles. When we got about halfway over the rope broke
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 89
and the raft caught under the limbs of a partly submerged tree and
it tipped on one side, so we lost our iron articles and many of our per-
cussion caps, as well as our powder, and our other goods were dam-
aged. This was a very serious and absolutely irreparable loss.
June 15 — We came to the Black Hills, so called because of the thick
growth of cedar. Here, also, we found red sandstone. It was a region
of rattlesnakes and large fierce bears. Some of the best hunters of
Captain Sublette's party shot one five or six times before they killed
him. Snow was seen on the mountains, although the middle of June.
We crossed a spur of these mountains while the main range lay away
to the north.
June 16 — It rained half a day. This is the first rain we have had.
Here we took what was afterwards known as the "Laramie Pass."
June 18 — We crossed the Platte, where it comes from the south.
Along the river were beautiful flowers. We again used our "bull
boats." After crossing we turned north five miles and then struck
across a broken, hilly plain on both sides of the river, with no vegeta-
tion but sagebrush, grease brush, and wormwood. From an eminence
we got our first view of the craggy granite peaks of Wind River
Mountains.
June 23 — We reached the Sweetwater,' traveling through a naked,
bleak country, the bare granite rocks lifting their craggy heads above
the sea of sand and sandstone. There was no timber even on the
river, but much snow on the mountains. At noon we reached " Inde-
pendence Rock." It is like a big bowl turned upside down; in size
about equal to two meeting houses of the old New England style. We
encamped here. There being no timber in this valley, we had to dry
buffalo dung or chips, as they are called, to use as fuel to cook by.
This beautiful, clear, cool stream was a luxury, and a pleasant remedy
for our sick. We wound our way as best we could through this pleas-
ant valley, until the Sweetwater became a mere rivulet that one could
step across. We crossed several snowdrifts on the way.
June 27 — We encamped on the southeast foothi-lls of the Wind
River Mountains, and the last branch of the Sweetwater, and June
28 found us on the great watershed between the Atlantic and Pacific
oceans. It was on open prairie, with ranges of mountains on the
north and immense prairies on the south. This is the celebrated
South Pass, and from it the waters flow into the Gulf of Mexico and
Gulf of California. On this extensive prairie buffalo are feeding by
the hundred thousands. We continued traveling northwest, as near
the foot of these mountains traveling was good.
June 30 — We crossed a number of tributaries of the Colorado River.
July 2— Was cold. Our camp was fired on about midnight. Unper.
ceived by the guards, the Indians approached the camp, gave their
90 JOHN BALI,.
whoop and fired with guns and arrows. They so frightened our horses
that they broke loose and rushed out of camp. We were instantlyou
our feet (we always slept with our guns by our side). The Indians were
not to be found. We collected our horses and retied them, laid down,
and went to sleep again. The Indians had accomplished what they
had aimed at, having stolen a dozen of our best horses. They were
supposed to be " Blackfeet."
July 3 — We followed up one of the branches of the Colorado and
camped on Bull Creek.
July 4 — It rained, snowed, and hailed. We passed the divide of
the Columbia. The sand, limestone soil seemed good. Large snow-
capped mountains were seen in the north, which we afterwards learned
were the " Trois Teton," fifteen thousand feet high. The only way I
had to ascertain our altitude was by the temperature of boiling water
by my thermometer, which I made, allowing five hundred and thirty
feet to a degree, eight thousand four hundred and eighty feet.
The days were very hot, thermometer 80°, and the nights cold,
even freezing.
It is said by the Indians that the Lewis River rises in the '• Trois
Teton " in a lake.
Our way was becoming difficult. Our horses were worn out, and
the men, although in a feeble condition, were compelled to walk.
Food, too, became scarce. We met no more buffalo, but, fortunately,
found some game of other kinds, and nothing came amiss except
snakes.
Vegetation became better as we advanced, and we found some
strawberries. On July 6 we arrived at the main branch of the Lewis
River, Henry's Fork, coming from the northeast. We crossed its
rapid current and came upon high ridges clothed with handsome
pines and snowdrifts.
July 9 — We met a party of Sublette's mountain trappers, who
appeared liberal in their expenditures for their new bought luxuries,
and who also seemed to be generally well satisfied with their wild life.
At the rendezvous at Pierre's Hole were also the Nez Perces and
Flatheaded Indians, who appeared in their dress and person decent
and interesting. They have many horses. Men, women, and children
ride well. They all ride astride and mount from the right side. They
encamp in buffalo skin lodges, which they always carry with them.
The whites often adopt many of their manners, and often intermarry.
Reached the rendezvous that night. These Indians were decidedly
honest and friendly. There were also some of the traders and trap-
pers of the American Fur Company there. The Indians sold us fresh
ponies or exchanged our lean ones for fresh ones. The full price of a
pony was a blanket and a cheap knife. So we, as well as they, were
supplied with what was needed.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 91
These mountain ponies are of Arabian stock, brought over by the
early Spaniards into Mexico. They are light and fleet and sure of foot.
It is a grand sight to see a herd of them feeding with a mounted guard
on their beautiful prairies. The guard's duty is to run them into camp
if attacked by the Blackfeet, in whose country we were.
Here at Pierre's Hole (where Mr. Sublette met his party of trap-
pers), as this valley is called, there are mountains on all sides, covered
with snow. The water in the creek was 40° F. There was plenty of
timber and good feed for the horses. I felt debilitated and tired from
the long journey, but the Indians had plenty of dried buffalo meat and
some roots. We ate the meat, lean and fat, like bread and cheese. I
never witnessed so great a change among men as I witnessed here in
a few days with plenty to eat and good water to drink. We were a
mixed company, two hundred whites and as many Indians, and a social
time we had in telling our varied experiences.
There is a mongrel language between the Indians and traders com-
posed of French and English. A hog goes by the French name and
birds are designated by their cries, etc.
Here we tested the honesty of the Indians. When we had bought
a horse, and it had got away with theirs, they would bring it back time
and time again. The Flathead chief would often mount his pony in
the evening and give his people a lecture on morals and honesty. Here
we were thousands of miles away from white settlement, and these
were the first Indians we had really seen. Their dress was of a frock
and leggings of dressed deerskins. A well dressed buffalo skin with
the hair on for a blanket to ride on or to sleep in each Indian had with
him. The frocks of the women were longer than the men. Both long
and short were ornamented with fringe of skin, sometimes shells and
feathers, and beads in their dress and hair. These mountain women
are very bashful, blushing if looked at. They consider it an honor to
be married to a white man, but it must be for life, or beware. Some
of the men were very eager for vegetable food.
There were rounded stones in this valley, containing much quartz,
and a fine gray sandstone.
July 14 — We had rested here for five days, and oh! such a good
rest. Captain Sublette had reached his journey's end. All but twelve
of Wyeth's men had concluded to return East with Captain Sublette.
We were anxious to go farther, even to the Pacific.
July 16 — We twelve moved our camp up the creek towards Vander-
burgh, eight miles, with Mr. Frap and Milton Sublette, a brother of
Capt. William Sublette, and with twenty-two of their trappers and
sixteen independent trappers, including some half-breeds and Indians,
hoping to come out somewhere all right. Mr. Frap took the lead. We
had a quiet night.
92 JOHN BALL.
On the following morning, just as we had packed, ready for march,
we saw a band of Indians in the direction in which we were to go. Mr.
Prap sent an Indian and a half-breed named Antoine to meet them. As
they approached, they discovered the Indians were Blackfeet. The
chief left the party and came out in a friendly way to meet Antoine
and his Indian companion. But Antoine's father had been killed by
the Blackfeet: he was going to have his revenge then and there. So
he said to the Indian "I'll appear friendly when we meet, but you
watch your chance and shoot him." This he did. Antoine caught his
robe or blanket of blue or red, turned and fled to camp. The Blackfeet
fired after him, and as he rode into camp he said: "They were Black-
feet. We killed their chief. Here is his robe." We, to our dismay,
expected a battle, which we did not like. An express was sent back
to Captain Sublette's camp to tell the state of affairs and ask assistance.
The whites and Indians returned in great numbers, Captain Sub-
lette going against the Blackfeet on his own account. The Blackfeet
by this time had built a breastwork by the creek, taking their women
and horses inside with them.
We had hastily thrown up a breastwork of our saddles. There was
a hard fight until sunset. The Indians always lay down on their backs
while loading their guns, and sometimes fire lying down The Indians
considered the leaden bullet a sort of thunder and lightening death,
and the whites did not think the barbed arrows any better. At sun-
down we retired and encamped. A Mr. Sinclair died of his wounds
that night. During the battle I was left in charge of the horses and
camp and took care of the wounded.29
The next night we returned to the rendezvous, and in the horse
pen buried Mr. Sinclair. Mr. Wm. Sublette was wounded. There
were eight whites and as many friendly Indians killed, and some
others wounded. After breakfast we visited the enemy's camp and
found some twenty-five dead horses and two dead women. There
were ten scalps taken by our Indians from the Blackfeet. We con-
cluded that the reason they had left their dead was because there was
not enough of them left to carry them off.
This affair detained us three days. We buried all the dead in the
horse pen, as the ground was so well trodden they couldn't be found.
They would, we knew, be sought for their scalps.
The wounded were carried on stretchers to Sublette's camp. A
bier was made by suspending trees covered with blankets between
two horses, one in front of the other.
July 24 — We quit camp, going south by the battle ground of the
eighteenth ; got but ten miles along. The next day was showery, but
^Washington Irving, in "Bonneville's Adventures," describes this battle.
Bonneville was encamped not far from there at the time.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 93
we traveled to the south. Vegetation was forward, especially flax
and currants of an orange color.
July 26 — We crossed the Lewis River in the bull boat, where Fort
Hall now is. Three of the men left us here to trap alone. The white
and variegated marble and melted rock showed the effects of volcanic
action. The vegetation was diversified and timber of various kinds
grew in abundance. We had a little rain. Traveling to the south-
west we crossed several creeks with volcanic bluffs on either side of
blacksmith-cinder-like rocks, often pentagonal in form, although they
had not lost their stratification. In examining the rocks, was nearly
bitten by a rattlesnake.
We found many berries and currants, red and black, also orange
in color. On the twenty-eighth passed Gray's Fork to Gray's Hole.
The Trois Tetons were still in sight to the northeast. Grass was good,
the buffalo fat, and we staid in camp two days drying meat. We then
crossed Blackfoot Creek to a hilly and wooded country with high
basaltic rocks in perfect pentagonal form.
August 1 — Mrs. Milton Sublette (a squaw) had a child, and the
next day she mounted her horse, the babe was put in a basket feet
down and hung on the pommel of her saddle, and she rode fifteen
miles that day. Mrs. Sublette also had a child about three years of age
who rode a gentle pony. The child was so fastened on by blankets as
to keep it upright, and the pony followed the train with loose horses,
never straying far with its charge. The thermometer fell to 20° F.
We traveled to the southeast, crossing the Blackfoot to a branch of
the Port Neuf, over an extensive prairie, which they say extends to
Bear River of the Salt Lake country, a hundred miles distant.
August 5— In camp drying more meat. Saw a white wolf and some
crows eating together on a buffalo carcass. There are two kinds of
wolves here, that make the nights hideous. We traveled down the
Port Neuf to the south eighteen miles, crossed it, and encamped on a
branch for two days.
August 11 — We started to the west, encamped on a small creek,
and the next day continued southwest on same creek. Here the six-
teen independent trappers quit us, going south into California.
August 13— We traveled west northwest over two ridges, the first
limestone, the second volcanic, and came in view of the Lewis River
at the American Falls. The course of the river is nearly west.
Extensive plains stretched away to the north, and a far-off snow-clad
mountain range was seen. Here I lost my pocket thermometer. We
traveled to the southwest away from the Lewis River and encamped
on the Cassia. Vegetation was rank. Next we traveled up the Cassia to
the south over barren plains of prickly pears and sage, and encamped
in high grass on a creek coming in from the west. Vegetation was
94 JOHN BALL.
rich. We continued up the creek to the west, and found plenty of dry
grass well liked by animals. The hills on either side were of stratified
basaltic rock and white marble. There were many berries which
formed a good sauce to go with our dried meat, and the water was
good.
August 17 — We continued our journey over mica slate ridges ; snow
was seen north and south on the mountains.
August 20 — There was frost in the forenoon, but in the afternoon
very hot, with some clouds and thunder, but no rain. We experienced
many days of this kind. We passed several large hot springs. Not
knowing they were hot, I was much startled when I stooped to drink
from one of them and found the water very hot. probably 100° or more.
August 21 — We met some Shoshone Indians, or Diggers, as they are
often called. They appeared leaner and poorer, even in their clothes,
than those we had seen before. They were armed only with bows
and arrows. They had earthen pots and baskets in which they carried
their water, and boiled their fish in the baskets by putting in hot
stones, which, with the camas and white roots, formed their diet.
August 22 — We started northwest, leaving the Cassia on the right,
passed several limestone ridges, with high mountains in the west, cov-
ered with snow, and came into a barren plain and encamped on a
small creek. None of our company knew where we were. The next
day we traveled over the barren plain fifteen miles, came to a large
creek from the south, which joined one coming from the northeast,
passing through "Cat Creek.''
August 24 — We went up the creek to the south fifteen miles ; then
west five miles and encamped. There was volcanic rock all about us,
and beyond high conical mountains, the range running east and west.
The coal like rock looked like burnt granite, with some sandstone.
There was no timber on the stream but the willow.
August 26— We traveled southwest over the barren plains, open to
the south as far as the eye could reach. We encamped on a small
creek running southeast, which we afterwards learned was the Hum-
boldt River. We continued up the creek to the northwest six miles
and took an Indian trail in a southwest direction, reaching the creek
at its source, which ran to the northwest.
Here we parted with Messrs. Sublette and Frap, who were going
west to trap. We twelve continued down this creek eighteen miles.
This first night that we twelve adventurers were alone was full of curi-
osity and anxiety for the future for all of us in that unknown country.
Our aim was to get back to Lewis River. We had traveled to the south-
west since we had first crossed it ; to get back to it and follow it to
the junction with the Columbia was our plan.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 95
We were now at what I knew was the headwaters of the Owyhee
River, then supposed to be the eastern boundary of Oregon. We con-
tinued down this canyon of burnt granite, mica, slate, etc., for several
days, and saw many curious things. In one case there was a stone
resting on a column as if just balanced there. We then traveled
northwest over a very even plain, with some sagebrush, but saw water
only once.
September 1 — Some thirty miles from the stream, there was a kind
of well in the rocks. Snowy mountains were visible to the north, and
country descended in that direction. We encamped on the plain, the
Owyhee being a thousand feet below us. The rocks appeared like a
burnt brickkiln. We saw some Indian with dried fish, and bought
some, then ascended the bluffs on the west. We saw horses tracks
down the steep bluffs, which with difficulty we descended, to our joy
to quench our thirst and that of our horses.
September 9 — We visited a large Indian encampment or village.
They were fishing. Their ingenious mode was very interesting. The
stream was shallow. They built a fence across it near its mouth (we
were now at the mouth of the Owyhee). Then leaving some distance
above they made a weir at one side so that the fish coming down or
coming up would go in, but were unable to find their way out. Then
they speared them. Their spears were made having a bone point
with a socket that fitted into a shaft or pole, and a hole was drilled
through the bone point by which a string tied it to the shaft. At sun-
rise a signal was given by their chief; they all rushed from both sides
into the stream, struck the salmon with their spears, and in each case
the point would come off, but being fastened to the shaft by a string,
the fish were easily towed ashore.
The chief of this village accompanied us down the stream six miles.
I here lost my hatchet, given me by Doctor Brinsmaide of Troy, New
York. We reached the Lewis River September 10, and continued
down the river, trapping wherever we saw signs of the beavers.
September 17 — We had some fresh fish boiled in baskets, the water
being kept boiling by hot stones. For a day we went up a creek from
the southwest trapping. Our horses were cut loose at night by the
Indians, and my camlet cloak was stolen. As a general rule, the
Indians were kind and friendly, and would make us presents of food,
but they could not forego the attempt to steal our horses (of which we
had two to each man) any more than a negro can leave a hen roost
alone. The Indians we met were Shoshones or the Pallotipallos, or
Flatheads, so called from the fact that the foreheads of all members
of the tribe are flattened during infancy. The operation is performed
by tying boards hewn to proper shape for the purpose, which compress
the head, one being placed against the forehead and tied to another at
96 JOHN BALL.
the back, on which the infant is placed. The more the head is mis-
shaped the greater the supposed beauty.
September 20 — We met Mr. Sublette and Mr. Frap. They went
to the southwest. There was little timber in this region. When two
or three of us went up trapping1, we tied our horses' halters to our
arms at night, so as to be sure not to lose them. We traveled slowly,
trapping- on the streams coming1 from the west. At last we got tired,
not having1 good luck, and the fish being bad. We tried to make the
Indians understand that we wanted to go to Walla Walla. That being
the only word in common between us, the conversation had to be by
signs. An Indian drew a map on the sand; one sign meant river, mak-
ing a motion of paddling ; another the trail, by pointing to a horse.
We understood that we were to keep down the river three sleeps (laying
his head on his hand and shutting his eyes three times) thus giving us
to understand we were to go by day, and if we whipped up, could cover
the ground in two days. There the river went into the mountains, and
we were to go over these mountains, and sleep; then another range,
and sleep; then making a sign of a plain, then two more sleeps, and
then Walla Walla. I was quite confident I understood him, if it was
by signs. It proved as he said, and was a great help to us. Lewis and
Clark speak of the destitute condition of these Plathead Indians.
Not knowing just where we were, and not taking the precaution to
buy a supply of dried fish, and meeting no more Indians, we soon got
short of food. We made some thirty miles a day some days over the
prairie, for when we arrived at the mountains we were in a sad plight.
We were thoroughly exhausted by hard travel and the horses were no
better.
October 12 — Having nothing to eat, we killed an old horse, and as
hungry as we were, we did not relish it. We vowed if we killed an-
other we would take a young one. The meat of a good horse tastes
like venison.
October 13 — Captain Wyeth took four men and the best horses and
started ahead for Walla Walla, requesting me to follow the next day.
Traveling was hard and the ground frozen. We continued traveling
north northwest and came to a broken plain.
October 14 — I had schooled myself to one meal a day, so had reserved
part of my rations. Here I noticed in the western horizon something
stationary, although it looked like a cloud in the bright sky. It proved
(I afterwards found) the grand and snowy Mount Hood. I called the
attention of the men to it. This we hailed as a discovery, and the
grandest sight we had yet seen. We saw no water all day, but en-
camped at night on the bank of a creek which came from the west.
Here we found berries which was all we had for supper. Here were
many trails.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 97
The next day we took the one most trodden, as I felt sure this creek
was the Walla Walla. We followed the old trail along- the bottoms of
the creek. There was some fine timber now, but nothing to eat. We
came to an Indian encampment the seventeenth and got some food.
Before we came to the Indians, I had proposed to the rest of the party
to kill another horse, but hungry as we were, we preferred to push on.
The food we got from the Indians consisted of dried bear meat and
elder berries, which we bought. I did not feel as ravenous as the other
men. who ate until I urged them to stop, for fear of the result. The
next day, after a fifteen-mile ride, we arrived at Fort Walla Walla on
October 18, where we found Captain Wyeth, who had been there two
or three days.
The fort was built of upright timbers set in the ground. The tim-
bers were some fifteen or eighteen feet high. A small stockade, with
stations or bastions at the corners for lookouts. The Hudson Bay Com-
pany kept a fort here for the trade. There was a clerk and half a
dozen men.
We were received kindly, and for the first time since we left the
forks of the Platte on June 1 we tasted bread. It was a very interest-
ing and gratifying sight to look on the Columbia (Fort Walla Walla
stands where Walla Walla Creek empties into the Columbia) after our
long and tedious journey.
The country around was barren. Rain, if they had any, com-
menced later in the season. There is little or no timber. Wild sage
grows from five to six feet high, and is found everywhere on moun-
tains and plains. It has ash colored leaves, and is bitter like the
garden sage. Where nothing else is found, it is eaten by buffalo and
deer. Here we decided to leave our faithful horses and descend the
river in boats, which we began the day after our arrival.
October 19 — We took a boat of the Hudson Bay Company and two
of their men (Canadians) and started down the river. We soon came
to high basaltic bluffs, almost perpendicular, with only a narrow shore
of grass and sand. The clear ocean blue water swept us swiftly on.
We ascended the bluffs at night and there encamped. We found
above a grassy plane, but no timber.
October 20 — We encamped on the left shore. The Indians of this
section were not so respectable in appearance as those we had seen.
They subsisted mainly on bad fish and a few roots. There were snow-
clad mountains on the south.
October 21 — We passed the picturesque rocks rising terrace on ter-
race. The night of the twenty-second some Indians brought us a nice
fat horse to eat for supper, which proved very good. We found many
roots and berries, which were also very good. Although we had
7
98 JOHN BALL.
brought plenty of food from the fort for the voyage, the horse did not
taste like the poor one killed by us in the Blue Mountains.
October 24 — We passed the falls, where we made a short portage,
and again at the dalles, or narrows, through which the river rushes.
At its low stage a boat can pass through it. I was told this was six
miles below the falls. The bluffs stand out prominently, frequently
of pentagonal form. Lewis and Clark called them "High Black
Rocks," which indeed they are. We finally came to the cascades,
where the river rushes through a break in the mountains. They are
so called from the thousands of beautiful cascades falling from these
mountains.
October 26 — It rained harder than I had seen it in five months.
The mountains became thickly timbered to the snow line. The next
day we came to the tide water, one hundred and eighty miles from its
mouth.
October 28 — We encamped at the sawmill of the Hudson Bay Com-
pany, which was superintended by Mr. Cannon, one of J. J. Astor's
men, who came out with Mr. Hunt in 1811.
October 29 — We arrived at Fort Vancouver, it having taken us nine
days to come down the river, some two hundred miles. Fort Vancou-
ver is an extensive stockade, enclosed on a prairie back from the river.
It includes the storehouses and the houses for governor and partners,
as the clerks were called. For the servants and Frenchmen there were
little houses outside of the fort. This was the main station of the
Hudson Bay Company west of the mountains, and to this place ship-
ping came.
Lewis and Clark spoke of what a great harbor the Columbia
might be: "That large sloops could come up as high as the tide waters,
and vessels of three hundred tons burden could reach the entrance of
the Multnomah River. " Fort Vancouver is situated on the right-hand
side going down the river (now in Washington state). We were a
hard looking set, owing to our hard life, but we were most hospitably
received in spite of the awkward and suspicious circumstances in
which we appeared. There had been some farming done about the
fort for some seven years previous.
November 3 — Five of us started down the river in an Indian canoe.
We could not go before, as it had rained. The country continued low
on both sides of the river. Mount Hood on the south, Saint Helens
on the north, in the rear of which appeared an hexagonal cone, white
and beautiful (not then named ; afterwards known as Mount Rainier).
November 4 — We passed many of the company's sloops, and Indians
singing as they paddled their canoes. We saw also many white geese
and ducks. We encamped on the shore opposite an island, used by
the Indians as a burial ground. Their way of burial was odd. They
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 99
wrapped the body of a warrior in his clothing1, and with his mats,
placed it in his own canoe, which they placed in some conspicuous
point, on the shore of the river on the island, covered it with split
plank and loaded it down with stone, so the wolves and other animals
could not get at it. All property of the dead was also put into the
canoe. To rob a grave is a very great crime. The island was called
"Coffin Island," because there were so many of the canoes of their
dead on it. As we went on shore to camp here, we went to a house,
and got some wappato — a root much eaten by the Indians.
November 5 — We continued down the river. The banks became
broken and heavily timbered as far down as Tongue Point, where we
encamped in sight of Fort George, and overlooking the sea. The next
day we went to Fort George, or "Astoria," and were well received.
A tree near the fort had recently fallen. Some said it was forty-
seven feet in circumference, and others said seven fathoms. I do not
think either exaggerated.
November 8 — We went over the hills to Young's Bay, where Lewis
and Clark wintered, calling their camp "Clatsop Camp." We saw
many enormous trees, two hundred feet high and from forty to fifty
feet in girth. In fact, everything, even to the brakes, were of gigantic
size. Still the potatoes on the clearing near the fort were small, and the
soil looked poor.
November 9 — We got a yawl and a man to sail it, and crossed over
to Chinook Point on the east, encamped, and at low tide went three
miles around the point to the seashore. I urged the men to go with
me, but all declined. So I went alone to look on the broad Pacific,
with nothing between me and Japan. Standing on the brink of the
great Pacific, with the waves washing my feet, was the happiest hour
of my long journey. There I watched until the sun sank beneath the
water. Then by the light of the moon, I returned to camp, feeling I
had not crossed the continent in vain.
November 11 — We began returning slowly up the river. The In-
dians we found always peaceable, these traders having had the good
sense and tact to keep them so, by always keeping faith and a good
understanding with them. That day we went but five miles, keeping
along the south shore. In the evening we were visited by Indians in
a friendly way.
November 16 — We arrived at Fort Vancouver, to learn that one of
our twelve had died. He had stood the hardships of the journey well.
He ate heartily at supper of pease, which gave him colic, of which he
died before morning. It seemed very hard to us, who had borne so
much.
The next day Mr. Wyeth and myself were invited by Doctor Mc-
Loughlin, the oldest partner and nominal governor, to his own table
100 JOHN BALL.
and rooms at the fort. Others were quartered out of the fort. I soon
gave Doctor McLoughlin and Captain Wyeth to understand that I was
on my own hook, and had no further connection with the party. We
were received with the greatest kindness as guests, which was very
acceptable, or else we would have had to hunt for subsistence. But
not liking to live gratis, I asked the doctor (he was a physician by pro-
fession) for some employment. He repeatedly answered me that I was
a guest and not expected to work. But after much urging, he said if I
was willing he would like me to teach his own son and the other boys
in the fort, of whom there were a dozen. Of course I gladly accepted
the offer. So the boys were sent to my room to be instructed. All
were half-breeds, as there was not a white woman in Oregon. The
doctor's wife was a "Chippewa," from Lake Superior, and the lightest
woman was Mrs. Douglas, a half-breed, from Hudson Bay. I found the
boys docile and attentive, and they made good progress. The doctor
often came into the school, and was well satisfied and pleased. One
day he said: "Ball, anyway you will have the reputation of teaching
the first school in Oregon. " So I passed the winter of 1832 and 1833.
The gentlemen of the fort were pleasant and intelligent. A circle
of a dozen or more sat at a well-provided table, which consisted of
partners, the clerks, Captain Wyeth, and myself. There was much
formality at the table. Men: waited on the table, and we saw little of
the women, they never appearing except perhaps on Sunday or on
horseback. As riders they excelled.
The national boundary had not been settled beyond the mountains
at this time. The traders claimed the river would be the boundary.
The south side the American. The fur trade was their business, and
if an American vessel came up the river, or coast, they would bid up
on furs, and if necessary a price ten to one above their usual prices.
So American traders soon got entirely discouraged.
The voyage around Cape Horn to England was so long to take sup-
plies, that the company brought a bull and six cows from California,
and in seven years said they had raised from this start four hundred
head of cattle. They plowed fields and raised good wheat. Salmon
was so abundant that it was thrown away, to get some old imported
salt beef. They had not as yet killed any of their stock.
In the spring of 1833 Captain Wyeth and two other of the men
started on their return home across the plains. Others of the party
went into the employ of the Hudson Bay Company.
I wrote letters home and sent by the Hudson Bay Express. Leav-
ing Fort Vancouver March 20 each year, this express went north to
about latitude 52°, then by men on snowshoesover the mountains, which
takes them two. weeks. Then they take bark canoes on the La Bashe
(or Athabasca), which flows north; descend it a distance, and make a
short portage at Port Edmonton to the Saskatchawan River, down
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 101
that to Lake Winnipeg1. There the express was divided, part going
down the Lake to Nelson River, descending it to the Hudson Bay.
The rest was taken up the Lake and across to Lake Superior, and on
to Montreal. My friends in New York and New Hampshire got my
letters in September. The postage was twenty-five cents.
The following is an extract from a letter written at
Fort Vancouver February 23, 1833, by Mr. Ball to his
parents :
Believing you still feel that interest in me that is usual to parents,
and that you have always manifested towards me, I will inform you of
my welfare.
My health has been uniformly good ever since I saw you some fif-
teen months ago, and never better than now. I wrote you from the
mountains and hope my letters were received, and that this will be also.
I continued my journey across the country, leaving the place I wrote
you from last July and arriving here at this place last October. After-
wards I went to the ocean, a hundred miles or more below here, then
returned. Here I have been in comfortable quarters, teaching a few
boys and enjoying the conveniences of home and good living.
This is a post of the Hudson Bay Company, which extends its trade
of furs from Canada to this place. Here they have extensive fur oper-
ation, raise wheat, corn, pease, potatoes, etc., and have cattle, sheep,
and hogs. I have been civilly treated by them, although I possessed
no introductory letters or anything to recommend me, being destitute
of everything. Little can be brought under any circumstances across
such an extent of wilderness of country. Now I am going to the trade
you taught me — farming — from which more comforts can be obtained
with less labor, and it is more healthy than most others.
But perhaps I am too fast. You know your changeable weather
brings on colds, and those colds, consumption. Here some three years
past, some have had fever and ague, though never known even in the
recollection of the natives before. I shall have to begin farming with
a few tools, and accommodations. But mind you, my farm is cleared,
and I have the choice of a tract as large as the whole State of New
Hampshire, except what is taken by seven other farmers. I am going
up the Multnomah or Willamette, near the mouth of which is the
fort. I shall settle in the neighborhood of those already there. I
have this week returned from looking out the place ; find good soil,
most of it prairie; still there is timber in abundance for fencing, fire,
building, etc., well dispersed over the country. The white oak often
grows on the plains like an orchard, and. there are groves of pine and
other timber. The same fir you have grows to a great height and
102 JOHN BALL.
three or four feet through, answering for all the uses you put the white
pine to. There is another tree, called the red fir. The timber is like
the yellow pine, and grows immensely large.
The great advantage here is the climate, for there is so little winter
that I found cattle, horses, and hogs on the Multnoniah fat, though
none of them had been fed this winter. In fact, I have not seen a
flake of snow on the ground a moment, and hail but once, which lav-
two inches deep for one day. There was much rain in December and
January, and it was so cold that the Columbia froze over, but the Mult-
nomah did not. Some trees are now in blossom, and in favorable spots
the fresh green grass has grown six inches high. The Indians have
horses, which they sell at $8.00 per head, but cattle are still scarce.
There are none this side of California, except what has sprung from
a bull and six cows brought from California seven years ago, if I have
been rightly informed.
Anything can be raised here that can with you, any many things
which can not be. Many kinds of fruit trees have been introduced
which succeed well. But recollect, I am not in possession of these
things myself, but hope to be after awhile from the generous conduct
of those who are the owners. I have seen the country the description
of which John Ordway gave you so interestingly when he returned
from his tour with Lewis and Clark in 1806. The natives with their
flattened heads are nearly the same, though a residence of some whites
in their neighborhood for more than twenty years has doubtless had
its effect. They have changed their skin dress to a considerable ex-
tent for cloth. Some wear nothing on their feet, and wear a kind of
apron and blanket of skin. Some have adopted the dress of the whites.
They are not a warlike people, in this quarter, though some individ-
uals are killed, but in case of murder a payment of a valuable article
is said to satisfy the friends of the departed.
Mr. Ball's journal continued :
When Doctor McLoughlin found I was bent on going to farming, he
loaned me farming utensils and seed for sowing, and as many horses
as I chose to break in for teams. I took the seed and implements by
boat, getting help up the Willamette to the falls, (passing the site of
Portland and beyond the now Oregon City,) about fifty miles from
Fort Vancouver. We carried by the falls, boat and all, and first
stopped with one of the neighbors, a half-breed, J. B. Desportes, who
had two wives and seven children, and plenty of cats and dogs. I
caught from the prairie a span of horses with a lasso, made a harness,
and set them to work. For harness I stuffed some deerskins, sewed
in proper form, for collars, fitted to them for the harness, crooked oak
limbs tied top and bottom with elk skin strings. Then to these strips
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 103
of hide was -fastened for tugs, which I tied to the drag made from a
crotch of a tree. On this I drew out logs for my cabin, which, when
I had laid up and put up rafters to make the roof, I covered with bark
pealed from the cedar trees. This bark covering was secured by poles
crossed and tied at the ends with wood strings to the timbers below.
Then out of some split plank I made a bedstead and a table, and so I
dwelt in a house of "fir and cedar."
An extract from a letter dated September 15, 1833,
reads :
On the Willamette, about fifty miles from Port Vancouver, in my
own habitation, the walls of which are the cylindrical fir, and the roof
thereof cypress and yew, greeting : After dissolving connection with
N. J. Wyeth on the seventeenth of last November, I was invited by
Dr. John McLoughlin, chief factor of the fort, (a man of first rate
general intelligence, and if I am not mistaken, of very liberal views,)
to take charge as a pedagogue of his own son and a few other boys in
the fort for the winter. All the gentlemen within the fort ate at a
common table, where the fare was plain but good, and there was much
instructive conversation.
Here I passed the time, not disagreeably, until March. In Febru-
ary Capt. N. J. Wyeth and two men started for America by the
mountains. In the same month I went up the Willamette about sev-
enty-five miles to see the country ; and the first of March, having no
opportunity to return home immediately, Doctor McLoughlin offered
me seed, a team, and farming utensils. I came to this place and com-
menced farming under many disadvantages* I boarded the first three
months at J. B. Desportes. a half-breed, whose family consisted of two
wives, besides one absent, by all seven children, four or five slaves
and two or three hired Indians, besides cats and dogs without number.
All inhabited one room in common.
I made horse harness, hoe handles, plowed, made fences, sowed and
planted without help, except what I could get from a wild Indian,
about six weeks in the spring. I built the house aforesaid, sleeping
within its walls from the day it was commenced, and soon after built
a little barn. I kept for food five bushels from the twenty-five secured
for sowing, but have had no corn or potatoes for want of rain.
By July 10 my companion, Mr. Sinclair, was taken with fever and
ague, and is now down again. I have had two attacks this month
already, and have been unable to attend at all to things scientifically
from the multiplicity of other business.
I enjoy no society except Sinclair's, and even my own house has
not been enjoyed without the intrusion of those I did not wish. In
fact, it is a country of falsehood and low cunning1. The whites adopt,
104 JOHN BALL.
in many things, the customs of the natives. Still, if one had learned
their ways, he might get along very well ; but as it is, and with no
prospect of immigrants such as to change the tone of society, I shall
soon depart from this coast, leaving for the present my home and farm.
On the Willamette strawberries and other plants are in flower, and
trees in leaf in April. By April 15 the camas are in bloom, and plants
of many kinds full grown. By May 15 strawberries are ripe and roses
are in bloom. By June 1 pease are ripe, and by June 15 barley and
winter wheat are headed. Many kinds of fruit grow well. On ground
previously tilled, one would have a good crop most years of every
kind desirable. Deer and elk are plentiful, and one can always get
salmon at the falls to eat. Hogs, horses, and cattle are easily raised.
Cattle, if large stock could be obtained, would be the best.
The journal continued :
Camas grow on the prairie about the size of an onion. The stem is
about a foot high, having a blue blossom. It is palatable and nutri-
tious as potatoes. The wappato, another root, is not as good, but
grows larger. It is the root of a plant like the water lily. The
Indians wade in up to their arms and break it off with their toes.
Then it rises to the surface. The common way of cooking is by dig-
ging a hole in the ground, in which a stone is placed. A fire is built
on the stone, and when it is heated the food is put on the hot stone
wrapped in leaves, covered, and fire again built on top.
A part of the time while on my farm I suffered much with fever
and ague, which proved so fatal with the Indians, partly, probably,
because of their plunging into water when the fever came on. They
were wonderfully aided by medicine procured from the whites. One
instance shows its fatal effect on the Indians. At one time a trader
returning to the fort came to their lodge, or village, on the river just
below the mouth of the Multnomah. He there found a number of
dead and unburied. The only one alive was an infant on its dead
mother's breast. He carried the babe to the fort, where it was thriv-
ing when I was there. Many die of fright. They are superstitious
people, and think that sickness and death are caused by the "Evil
Spirit."
I had no nurse but my faithful friend Sinclair, who was sick, too.
We got medicine from the fort, and it would hold up. Then we would
be taken down again. Completely discouraged, I left my house on
September 20. I sold my produce to the company at the fort. The
grandeur of these beautiful mountains, Hood and Jefferson, and others
not named on the south of the Columbia, as seen from the fort and
my farm, were the hardest to leave. By the looks of the country I
had passed through the year before, I knew they were volcanoes long
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO. 105
extinct. The Indians spoke of the "Evil Spirit" not disturbing" them
for forty snows (meaning- forty years). The "Evil Spirit" caused the
mountains to vomit fire, mud, and stones, but the Great Spirit had
driven him away.
September 20 — I left my farm with something1 of regret, but on the
whole glad, seeing there was no prospect of any settlers and no society.
Sick and discouraged I started down the river to the falls. Our Indian
boy assisted us in carrying the boat. The boy said: " My people are
all sick and dying. I'll be dead, too, when you come back." Below
the falls I asked the chief for two of his men to row us to the fort.
He answered that all his men were sick or dead, so we had to paddle
our own canoe.
The proceeds of my farm enabled me to buy my passage in the fore-
castle of the brig "Dryad," commanded by Captain Kipling, bound
for the Sandwich Islands.
September 28 — I boarded her, and she sailed down the Columbia
from Fort Vancouver. October 6 we arrived at Fort George. The
next day Duncan Finlayson, Esq., and Mr. David Douglas arrived to
take passage in the brig, and by Mr. Finlayson's direction I was trans-
ferred to the cabin.
October 14 — We anchored in Baker's Bay, under Cape Disappoint-
ment, from the top of which, called Fruzin's Head, was a fine view of
the ocean and surf. In the bay at the mouth of the river were rocks.
I should think they were "serpentine," and presented a somewhat
burnt appearance.
Sailing down the shore we occasionally saw the coast, which ap-
peared high and broken, but we were not near land until we approached
Drake's Bay, where the hills and all the coast are quite destitute of
timber, presenting a barren appearance.
November 4 — We entered the bay of San Francisco, passing the
fort and presidio, and came to anchor six miles or more up the bay.
The next day we were visited on board Don Jose Figueroa, general
and governor of Upper California, commissionary, commandant, etc.
The people were Spanish or Creole descent, all very dark and prob-
ably most of them of mixed blood. They dressed in various fashions,
and always go about on horseback, and even draw wood, — drags, etc.,
by a lasso, tied to the pommel of the saddle, the man still riding. The
Indians are darker and larger than those on the Columbia.
Immense herds of cattle and horses were grazing on the hills and
plains. The inhabitants attended but little to agriculture, though
the soil is good. I saw from the ship a Spaniard lasso a wild bullock
by the horns. Another Spaniard threw his lasso so that the first move
the animal made he stepped into it and was thrown down so as to
butcher him. It was done almost in a twinkle, the horses keeping
106 JOHN BALL.
their places. The end of the lasso was fastened to the pommel of the
saddle. The men then dismounted to cut the bullock's throat.
One day I wandered to the mission ; another day to the presidio.
They are both built of mud or adobe, with tile roof, much dilapidated.
Another time I wandered to the woods, and over the hills to the sea-
shore and up to the Gate. I found in the grass, dismounted, three
or four cannons, which probably were once used for guarding1 the
entrance to the bay. (For want of "the needful" and not being well,
I did not go about as much as I wished. )
The geology of the country is the same as at Cape Disappointment.
The climate is lovely, and they say they seldom have frost. Most of
the country east of the bay is an open prairie. Near the bay were
some shrub oak and other small timber. On the distant mountains
were large and lofty trees.
We came into this bay in company with an American whaler home-
ward bound, the Helvetius, Capt. George S. Brewster of New London,
Connecticut. J. Sinclair and two others who crossed the mountains
with me went on board of her. They left on the twenty-seventh. I
met here a Mr. Renson, who resides up the coast and raises wheat to
supply their trading post at Sitka and other places in Alaska. One of
the articles of trade was tallow, sewed up in bags of skin. When asked
about it, he said the French and Indians used it with corn and other
grain to make their soup.
November 29 — We sailed for the Sandwich Islands.
KATE N. B. POWERS.
VOLUME III] JUNE, 19O2 [NUMBER 2
THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
By M. C. GEORGE.
At the commencement of this period the officers of the
state were : Governor, L. F. Grover ; secretary of state,
S. F. Chad wick; treasurer, A. H. Brown; state printer,
Mart. V. Brown ; superintendent of public instruction,
L. L. Rowland. All democrats save L. L. Rowland,
republican .
Judges E. D. Shattuck, B. F. Bonham, John Burnett,
L. L. McArthur, and P.P. Prim constituted the supreme
court of the state, the members of which also performed
circuit court duty in the several judicial districts of the
state.
The district attorneys serving as state officers were
H. Y. Thompson, J. J. Whitney, W. B. Laswell, C. W.
Fitch, and H. K. Hanna.
Our United States senators were James K. Kelly,
democrat, and John H. Mitchell, republican ; and our
108 M. C. GEORGE.
representative in congress was Lafayette Lane, democrat.
In the state election of 1876 H. K. Hanna, democrat,
S. H. Hazard, democrat, George H. Burnett, republican,
Raleigh Stott, republican, and L. B. Ison, democrat, were
elected district attorneys. J. F. Watson, republican,
R. P. Boise, republican, and L. L. McArthur, democrat,
were elected supreme judges.
The republican state platform made the protective
tariff a special feature, while the democratic state plat-
form protested against it and denounced the evils of
Chinese immigration, of monopolies, and of national
banks, and demanded that all currency be issued directly
by the general government; and called for the regulation
and control of corporations, and asked for aid from the
government to certain railroads. Both parties demanded
a return to specie payments.
A democratic legislature was elected in 1876, which
organized in September with John Whiteaker as presi-
dent of the senate, and J. K. Weatherford as speaker of
the house. At this session L. F. Grover, democrat, was
elected United States senator for six years, from March
4, 1877, to succeed James K. Kelly. Mr. Grover received
forty-eight votes, Jesse Applegate, republican, thirty-
three, J. W. Nesmith, democrat, five, and T. F. Camp-
bell, four.
Through an erroneous impression no congressman
was voted for in June — the fact being overlooked that
the new congressional law, regulating such elections and
prescribing November as the time, had really excepted
Oregon by excepting such states as had to change their
state constitutions in order to change their state general
elections.
At the presidential election in the fall, Richard Wil-
liams, republican, was elected by a vote of fifteen thou-
sand three hundred and forty-seven over Lafayette Lane,
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 109
democrat, who was a candidate for re-election, receiving
only fourteen thousand two hundred and thirty-nine
votes.
Hayes and Wheeler carried the state over Tilden and
Hendricks, and W. H. Odell, John C. Cartwright, and
J. W. Watts, republicans, were chosen presidential elec-
tors. A question, however, was raised as to the eligi-
bility of Mr. Watts, and Governor Grover awarded the
certificate to Eugene Cronin, democrat, who had received
nearly one thousand two hundred less votes. The after
events are a part of the history of the nation.
On February 1, 1877, Governor Grover resigned to
accept a seat in the United States senate, and Secretary
of State S. F. Chadwick became acting governor of Ore-
gon. .
In 1878 the republicans nominated H. K. Hines for
congress and adopted as a state platform resolutions
opposing the repeal of the resumption act, and favoring
a uniform currency, founded upon a coin basis, inter-
changeable and convertible at par at the pleasure of the
holder. Also denouncing the democratic state adminis-
tration as reckless and corrupt, and the leaders of the
party as attempting to defraud Oregon out of an electoral
vote. Also favoring the restriction of the treaty with
China to commercial purposes only. At the election,
John Whiteaker, democrat, was chosen representative in
congress, defeating H. K. Hines, republican. The dem-
ocratic state platform approved heartily the action of
congress remonetizing silver (referring evidently to the
Bland-Allison act). It also resolved "That money made
or issued by the government should be of equal value,
and that we are in favor of paying all the obligations
of the government in greenbacks, so called, when the
pecuniary interests of the people are promoted thereby,
except when otherwise expressly provided.' It favored
110 M. C. GEORGE.
the repeal of the resumption act, and also the repeal of the
national bank act, and the direct issue by the government
of currency, receivable for all public dues, sufficient to
supply the place of the present bank note circulation.
Also favored reducing the tariff to a strictly revenue
standard, and declared "that the interests of the great
mass of people of the United States lie in the paths of
unrestricted commerce.' Also favored restriction of
Mongolian immigration, and a subsidy for the Portland,
Salt Lake and South Pass Railroad and the railroad to
California, and an extenson of time to the Northern Pa-
cific Railroad to build under reasonable conditions.
At the election in 1878 the following state officers
were elected :
Governor, W. W. Thayer, democrat ; secretary of
state, R. P. Earhart, republican ; state treasurer, Edward
Hirsch, republican; state printer, William B. Carter,
republican; superintendent of public instruction, L. J.
Powell, republican ; judge of supreme court, James K.
Kelly, democrat ; circuit judge, P. P. Prim, democrat ;
district attorneys, J. R. Neil, democrat; S. H. Hazard,
democrat ; J. J. Whitney, democrat ; J. F. Caples, repub-
lican ; L. B. Ison, democrat.
The legislature chosen was democratic, and organized
with John Whiteaker as president of the senate and John
M. Thompson as speaker of the house, and by a vote of
forty-eight to forty, scattering, elected James H. Slater
United States Senator for six years from March 4, 1879,
to succeed John H. Mitchell.
In 1879 W. B. Carter, State Printer, died and W. P.
Ready was appointed by the governor to fill the vacancy
until the next general election.
In 1880 the republican state platform resolved in
favor of a protective tariff. On the money question its
declaration was somewhat notable, reading as follows :
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. Ill
"That to the republican party is due the credit of success-
ful resumption and restored prosperity and business
revival, and we insist that the paper and coin circulation
of the country shall at all times be maintained at par with
the gold standard of the commercial world. '
That was probably the first public platform utterance
favoring the maintenance of parity of all coin and cur-
rency on a gold standard of valuation.
On this platform M. C. George was elected Oregon's
representative in congress, defeating, by a majority of
one thousand three hundred and ninety-seven, ex-Gov-
ernor Whiteaker for re-election.
The democratic state platform that year opposed any
and all protective tariff and on the money question it
"Resolved, that while we recognize gold and silver as
the constitutional currency and regard it as the real
money, we deem any further contractions of the paper
issues of the government unwise in the present financial
condition.'
Whatever had heretofore been the platforms concern-
ing tariff, the congressional campaign for that year (1880)
was the first time in the history of the state when the
canvass was mainly upon a protective tariff issue.
At that election, E. B. Watson, William P. Lord, and
John B. Waldo, all republicans, were elected to constitute
the new supreme court, whose members were no longer
to do circuit court duty. This new supreme court was
in fulfillment of that clause in our state constitution pro-
viding that "When the white population of the state
shall amount to two hundred thousand the legislative
assembly may provide for the election of supreme and
circuit judges in distinct classes.'
W. H. Odell was also elected at this time state printer
to fill the vacancy caused by the death of W. B. Carter.
The legislature elected in June, 1880, being repub-
112 M. C. GEORGE.
lican, organized in September by electing Sol Hirsch as
president of the senate and Z. F. Moody as speaker of
the house.
The following were elected circuit judges : First dis-
trict, H. K. Hanna ; second district, J. F. Watson ; third
district, R. P. Boise ; fourth district, Raleigh Stott ; fifth
district, L. L. Me Arthur.
Also the following district attorneys : First district,
T. B. Kent ; second district, J. W. Hamilton ; third dis-
trict, W. G. Piper ; fourth district, John F. Caples ; fifth
district, D. W. Bailey.
At the fall election the Garfield and Arthur presiden-
tial electors, to wit, George B. Currey, C. B. Watson, and
E. L. Applegate, beat the Hancock and English electors
about six hundred and seventy-one votes in the state.
In 1882 neither of the state political platforms had
any especially notable features.
At the June election M. C. George, republican, was
re-elected representative in congress, receiving a majority
of three thousand three hundred and sixty-five votes over
William D. Fenton, democrat. The state officers elected
were: Governor, Z. F. Moody, republican; secretary
of state, R. P. Earhart, republican (re-elected); state
treasurer, Edward Hirsch, republican (re-elected); state
printer, W. H. Byars, republican ; superintendent of
public instruction, E. B. McElroy ; supreme judge, Wil-
liam P. Lord (re-elected). R. S. Bean was elected circuit
judge in the second district, and the district attorneys
were as follows : First district, T. B. Kent ; second dis-
trict, E. G. Hursh; third district, W. H. Holmes; fourth
district, John F. Caples ; fifth district, T. C . Hyde. The
legislature chosen in 1882 was republican, and organized
by electing W. J. McConnell President of the Senate, and
George W. McBride Speaker of the House. J. N. Dolph
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 113
was elected United States senator to succeed Hon. L. F.
Grover.
At the close of the year 1883 Judge Raleigh Stott re-
signed, and Governor Moody appointed Seneca Smith his
successor.
In 1884 the political platforms in Oregon generally
followed the national platforms respectively, and both
favored forfeiture of all unearned land grants.
Binger Hermann, republican, was elected member of
congress over John Myers, democrat, and W. W. Thayer,
democrat, was elected judge of the supreme court. The
following were the circuit judges elected : First district ;
L. R. Webster; fourth district, Seneca Smith; fifth dis-
trict, F. J. Taylor; sixth district, M. L. Olmstead. The
following were the district attorneys : First district, T.
B. Kent; second district, J. W. Hamilton; third district,
George E. Chamberlain; fourth district, John M. Gearin;
fifth district, T. A. McBride ; sixth district, M. D. Clif-
ford. At the fall election Blaine and Logan carried the
state over Cleveland and Hendricks by a plurality of
about two thousand two hundred and sixty-five votes,
and D. P. Thompson, Warren Truitt, and John C. Leas-
ure were chosen as presidential electors.
The legislature chosen in June, 1884, was republican,
but owing to a change in the time of meeting, organized
in January, 1885, with William Waldo as president of
the senate, and W. P. Keady as speaker of the house.
After fruitlessly balloting sixty-nine times, during the en-
tire session, for United States senator, during which time
Sol. Hirsch received generally about thirty-three votes,
the legislature adjourned with no election. At a special
session in the following November, John H. Mitchell was
elected United States senator to succeed James H. Slater.
In 1886 Binger Hermann was re-elected to congress
over N. H. Butler on a republican platform saying,
114 M. C. GEORGE.
among other things, "We believe that the coin of the
country should be gold and silver, and that our paper
currency should be maintained and convertible thereto
at par, and we favor such legislation as shall in the
future maintain the use of both metals as a circulating
medium, and we favor international arbitration with a
view to determine and establish a uniform ratio between
gold and silver.'
The democratic state platform was silent on the money
question, and otherwise both platforms followed the usual
national lines.
Sylvester Pennoyer, democrat, was chosen governor
over Thomas Cornelius, republican, and George W. Mc-
Bride, republican, was elected secretary of state; G. W.
Webb, democrat, state treasurer; R. S. Strahan, demo-
crat, supreme judge; E. B. McElroy, republican, super-
intendent of public instruction, and Frank C. Baker,
republican, state printer.
The following were our circuit judges : First district,
L. R. Webster; second district, R. S. Bean; third dis-
trict, R. P. Boise ; fourth district, E. D. Shattuck and
L. B. Stearns ; fifth district, F. J. Taylor; sixth district,
L. B. Ison ; seventh district, J. H. Bird. District Attor-
neys : First district, William M. Colvig ; second district,
J. W. Hamilton ; third district, G. W. Belt ; fourth dis-
trict, Henry E. McGinn; fifth district, T. A. McBride ;
sixth district, M. D. Clifford; seventh district, W. R.
Ellis.
The legislature was republican and organized in Jan-
uary, 1887, by choosing J. C. Carson president of the
senate and J. T. Gregg speaker of the house.
In 1888 Binger Hermann was re-elected to congress.
The democratic candidate was John M. Geariu. The re-
publican platform dealt largely in criticism of the tariff
policy of the national democratic administration, favored
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 115
protection, opposed Chinese immigration and found fault
generally with President Cleveland's administration.
The democratic platform, on the contrary, indorsed
Cleveland and his policy, and in other matters demanded
forfeiture of railroad grants and opposed Mongolian im-
migration. In these state platforms in this as well as in
nearly all the years, each party protested its special
fealty to its own time honored principles, and denounced
those of the opposite party, and both claimed special de-
votion to the welfare of the tax payers and the people
generally. As to whether either has ever fallen short in
practice might require a historical sketch more extended
than this.
In June, 1888, James A. Fee was elected circuit judge
in district No. 6, and the following were elected district
attorneys: First district, William M. Colvig ; second
district, J. W. Hamilton; third district, H. H. Hewitt;
fourth district, H. E. McGinn; fifth district, T. A. Mc-
Bride ; sixth district, J. L. Rand, and seventh district,
W. R. Ellis.
In the fall election of 1888 Benjamin Harrison carried
the state for the presidency by a plurality of over six
thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine over Cleveland,
the republican presidential electors, to wit, Robert Mc-
Lean, William Kapus, and C. W. Fulton defeating W.
H. Effinger, W. R. Bilyeu, and E. R. Skipworth, demo-
crats. The legislature, which had been elected in June,
1888, was republican, organized in January, 1889, by
electing Joseph Simon President of the Senate and E. L.
Smith Speaker of the House, and at this session Joseph
N. Dolph was re-elected United States senator for Oregon.
In 1890 Binger Hermann was re-elected representa-
tive in congress, defeating Robert A. Miller, democrat.
The republican state platform favored the enactment of
the Australian ballot, a protective tariff, the forfeiture
116 M. C. GEORGE.
of the railroad land grant from Wallula to Portland, the
restriction of Chinese immigration, internal improve-
ment, an eight hour law, and denounced trusts.
On the money question its declaration was noticeable:
"that recognizing the fact that the United States is the
greatest silver producing country in the world, and that
both gold and silver were equally the money of the con-
stitution from the beginning of the republic until the
hostile legislation against silver, which unduly contracted
the circulating medium of the country, and recognizing
that the great interests of the people demand more money
for use in the channels of trade and commerce, therefore,
we declare ourselves in favor of the free and unlimited
coinage of silver, and denounce any attempt to discrim-
inate against silver as unwise and unjust.'
The democratic state platform on the silver question
was equally red hot on the trail, and after condemning
the tariff bill and denouncing Speaker Reed, and favoring
forfeiture of all unearned land grants and the enactment
of an eight hour law, sought to give the "gold bugs" the
warm end of the poker, as follows: "We reaffirm the
position which has ever been maintained by the demo-
cratic party that gold and silver are equally the people's
money. We are opposed to all measures of discrimina-
tion against silver, and demand free coinage to supply
the needs of business, and that all money issued by the
government be made legal tender for all debts, both pub-
lic and private.'
Both platforms were condemned as to the money ques-
tion by the leading daily of Portland, which said, "the
men in both parties have assented to a policy in regard to
silver that they know is erroneous.'
Governor Pennoyer was re-elected over D. P.Thomp-
son, republican. The other state officers were : George
W. McBride, republican, secretary of state ; Phil Met-
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 117
schan, republican, state treasurer; Frank C. Baker, re-
publican, state printer; E. B. McElroy, republican,
superintendent of public instruction ; R. S. Bean, repub-
lican, supreme judge ; M. D. Clifford, Circuit Judge of
sixth district. The following were the district attor-
neys : First district, W. M. Colvig ; second district, S.
W. Condon; third district, George G. Binghara ; fourth
district, T. A. Stephens; fifth district, T. A. McBride ;
sixth district, C. F. Hyde ; seventh district, W. H. Wilson.
The legislature was republican, and organized Janu-
ary, 1891, with Joseph Simon President of the Senate
and T. T. Geer Speaker of the House. John H. Mitchell
was re-elected United States senator. This legislature
created the office of attorney-general, and George E.
Chamberlain was appointed by the governor.
In 1892 the State of Oregon, on reapportionment be-
ing entitled to two representatives in congress, Binger
Hermann was re-elected for the first congressional district
over R. M. Veatch, democrat, and W. R. Ellis, repub-
lican, for the second over ex-Senator James H. Slater.
The republican platform followed the usual lines, and
on money matters indorsed the Sherman act as "adding
the silver product of the United States to the people's
currency.' It favored a boat railway at the Dalles and
the election of senators by direct vote of the people, the
construction of ample defense of our coast and the build-
ing of an efficient navy.
The democratic platform endorsed the national plat-
forms of 1884 and 1888, pointed with pride to the admin-
istration of Cleveland, condemned the billion-dollar con-
gress, and denounced the McKinley tariff as the blighting
iniquity of the age ; demanded tariff reform, believed in
honest money, — the gold and silver coinage of the consti-
tution,— and in currency convertible into such coin with-
out loss and of sufficient value to meet all demands of
118 M. C. GEORGE.
the people, all money to be of equal monetary value and
of equal purchasing power, and all currency redeemable
in gold or silver, at the option of the holder and not at
the discretion of the secretary of the treasury. It also
favored pensions, election of senators by the people, and
various other good things.
F. A. Moore, republican, was elected supreme judge,
George E. Chamberlain, democrat, was elected attorney-
general, and the legislature was republican.
The following were the circuit judges : First district,
H. K. Hanna and W. C. Hale; second district, J. C.
Fullerton ; third district, George H. Burnett; fourth
district, E. D. Shattuck and L. B. Stearns; fifth district,
T. A. McBride ; sixth district, M. D. Clifford; seventh
district, W. L. Bradshaw. The district attorneys were :
First district, H. L. Benson ; second district, Seymour
W. Condon ; third district, James McCain ; fourth dis-
trict, W. T. Hume ; fifth district, W. N. Barrett; sixth
district, Charles F. Hyde; seventh district, W. H. Wilson.
At the fall election Harrison had twenty thousand
seven hundred and fifty-nine plurality over Cleveland,
and eight thousand one hundred and twenty-seven over
Weaver ; and the republican presidential electors chosen
were John F. Caples, D. M. Dunne, and G. M. Irwin.
Nathan Pierce was also chosen through the fusion of the
opposition votes on him.
The legislature, on convening in January, 1893,
elected C. W. Fulton as president of the senate, and W.
P. Keady as speaker of the house.
In 1894 the republican platform reaffirmed its policy
of protection, and denounced the action of the democratic
party in congress for its discrimination against Oregon
fields, forests, and mines. On money matters it adopted
the statement of the national republican platform of 1882
favoring bimetallism and the parity of the two metals,
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 119
and all dollars, paper or coin. It also favored the Nica-
ragua Canal and restricted foreign immigration.
The democratic state platform resolved for income
tax, the Nicaragua Canal, liberal pensions, election of
senators by the people, and opposed Chinese and pauper
immigration, the federal election law, and all measures
discriminating against silver. It demanded free coinage
"to supply the demands of business," and that all money
be made a full legal tender.
The people's party resolved against the vicious finan-
cial system of Great Britain and the issuance of gold
bonds, and hauled both the old parties over the coals
generally.
W. P. Lord, republican, was elected governor; H.
R. Kincaid, republican, secretary of state; W. H. Leeds,
republican, state printer; Phil Metschan, republican,
re-elected state treasurer; G. M. Irwin, republican,
superintendent of public instruction; C. M. Idleman,
republican, attorney-general; C. E. Wolverton, republi-
can, supreme judge; and the legislature was republican.
The following were elected circuit judges : Third dis-
trict, H. H. Hewitt; fourth district, Hartwell Hurley
and Thomas A. Stephens ; sixth district, James A. Fee.
The district attorneys were: First district, H. L. Benson ;
second district, George M. Brown ; third district, James
McCain ; fourth district, W. T. Hume ; fifth district,
W. N. Barrett; sixth district, John L. Rand; seventh
district, A. A. Jayne.
The legislature, meeting in January, 1895, organized
by selecting Joseph Simon as president of the senate and
Charles B. Moores as speaker of the house.
This legislature after fruitlessly balloting the entire
session over the re-election of Senator Dolph, at the last
moment of the last day, elected George W. McBride.
120 M. C. GEORGE.
Judge Hartwell Hurley died during this year and
Governor Lord appointed Henry E. McGinn as his
successor.
In 1896 the republican state platform followed the
national platform of 1892 and on the money question
favored bimetallism and use of both gold and silver as
standard money, with such restrictions and provisions
as will maintain parity of value of the two metals, and
the equal debt paying and purchasing power of every
dollar, silver, gold, or paper. Also favored the election
of senators by popular vote and the construction of the
Nicaragua Canal, etc.
The democratic state platform opposed the single gold
standard and favored the unrestricted coinage of silver
at sixteen to one, — all to be full legal tender. It also
demanded the immediate coinage of all silver bullion in
the treasury, and all silver bullion hereafter offered for
coinage and demanded the repeal of all specific contract
laws. Favored the construction of the Nicaragua Canal
and its control by the general government ; also a tariff
for revenue and other matters.
At the election in June, 1896, Thomas H. Tongue,
republican, was elected congressman for the first con-
gressional district, over W. S. Vanderburg, people's
party, and Jeff Myers, democrat; and W. R. Ellis, re-
publican, was elected in the second district over Martin
Quinn, people's party, and H. H. Northup, independent
gold republican, A. S. Bennett, democrat, and F. Mc-
Kercher, prohibitionist. The legislature was also repub-
lican. R. S. Bean was re-elected judge of the supreme
court, and Alfred F. Sears, Jr., circuit judge of fourth
district, S. A. Lowell of sixth district, and Robert Eakin
of the eighth district.
The district attorneys were: First district, J. A.
Jeffery; second district, W. E. Yates; third district,
POLITICAL HISTORY OF OREGON. 121
Samuel L. Hayden ; fourth district, Charles F. Lord;
fifth district, T. J. Cleeton ; sixth district, H. J. Bean ;
seventh district, A. A. Jayne ; eighth district, H. F.
Courtney, and ninth district, Charles W. Parrish.
At the fall presidential election McKinley and Hobart
carried the state, and John F. Caples, T. T. Geer, E. L.
Smith, and S. M. Yoran were chosen as presidential
electors.
The legislature in January, 1897, became involved in
a political wrangle and failed to even organize.
During this year, 1897, on the death of T. A.
Stephens, circuit judge, Governor William P. Lord ap-
pointed M. C. George to fill the vacancy, and later on,
Judge L. B. Stearns, having resigned on account of ill
health, the governor appointed John B. Cleland to fill
the unexpired term.
In 1898 the republican state platform declared un-
mistakably for the maintenance of the single gold stand-
ard and "unqualifiedly opposed the free coinage of silver
and all other schemes looking to the debasement of the
currency and the repudiation of debt.' While it deplored
imminence of the war with Spain, it recognized that the
country was on the eve of a war undertaken for the vin-
dication of the national honor and the performance of a
work dictated by every instinct of humanity. It recog-
nized that representative government is one of the prin-
ciples of the federal constitution and oppose any change
in law or constitution which would abrogate this time
honored principle.
The question of the free and unlimited coinage of sil-
ver at the ratio of sixteen to one was the practical issue,
and the democrats and the people's party men (except the
middle-of-the-roaders), along with free silver republicans,
united on a state ticket, as follows : For governor, Wil-
liam R. King, people's party ; congressman, first district,
122 M. C. GEORGE.
R. M. Veatch, democrat ; congressman, second district,
C. M. Donaldson, silver republican; secretary of state,
H. R. Kincaid, silver republican ; state treasurer, J. 0.
Booth, democrat ; superintendent of public instruction,
H. S. Lyman, silver republican; attorney-general, J. L.
Story, people's party ; supreme judge, William M. Ram-
say, democrat; state printer, Charles A. Fitch, people's
party. This fusion ticket was opposed by the middle-of-
the-roaders, as they were called — the out-and-out popu-
lists— and they put forward a state ticket headed by John
C. Luce and adopted both the Omaha and Saint Louis
platforms.
At this election Thomas H. Tongue, republican, was
re-elected congressman from the first district over R. M.
Veatch, fusing democrat ; and M. A. Moody in the second
district over C. M. Donaldson, fusing silver republican ;
T. T. Geer, republican, governor; F. I. Dunbar, repub-
lican, secretary of state ; Charles S. Moore, republican,
state treasurer; W. H. Leeds, republican, state printer;
D. R. N. Blackburn, republican, attorney-general ; J. H.
Ackerman, republican, superintendent of public instruc-
tion ; F. A. Moore, republican, re-elected supreme judge.
A session of the legislature called by the governor in
the fall of this year organized by electing Joseph Simon
President of the Senate and E. V. Carter Speaker of the
House, and elected Joseph Simon United States Senator
to fill the four years and five months of the term follow-
ing the expiration of the term of John H. Mitchell.
The regular session in January, 1899, continued the
officers of the special session, except that T. C. Taylor
became president of the senate.
" Lest we forget, lest we forget."
From the period of its earliest settlement to 1849
Oregon had no military history, if we except the several
months spent in the Cayuse country by a few hundred
volunteers after the massacre of 1847. The punishment
received by the Cayuses left them so reduced in numbers
that, even had they wished to make war, they were
unable without the support of the neighboring tribes,
particularly of their relatives, the Nez Perces. But a
vengeful spirit was cherished toward their conquerors,
which they imparted to the Shoshones in the Snake-river
country, w^hich was laying the foundation of future wars.
When Governor Lane arrived in the newly established
territory in the spring of 1849 he brought with him the
remnant of his escort, consisting of a lieutenant, G. W.
Hawkins, and five men, the main detachment having
deserted en route. Early in May, however, the United
States steamer Massachusetts, commanded by Captain
Wood, arrived in the Columbia with two artillery com-
panies, under Brev. Maj. J. S. Hathaway, who encamped
with one company at Vancouver, leaving the other with
Capt. B. H. Hill at Astoria, comfortably quartered in the
building erected in 1846 by the crew of the wrecked
United States vessel Shark. The whole force numbered
but one hundred and sixty-one men and officers ; but
the Indians on Puget Sound being threatening, it was
determined between Governor Lane and Major Hatha-
way to establish a post near Nisqually, and accordingly
the artillerymen under Captain Hill were removed in
July to the Sound, and a post erected at Steilacoom.
2
124 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
At the same time the long delayed Mounted Rifle Reg-
iment, commanded by Brev. Col. W. W. Loring, was on
its way from Fort Leavenworth to Oregon. It arrived,
as much of it as was left by desertion, deaths, and de-
tachments, in October. This regiment, when it left Fort
Leavenworth, numbered six hundred men, thirty-one
commissioned officers, some women and children, with
guides, agents, helpers and teamsters a large number.
There were one hundred and sixty-one wagons in the
train, one thousand and two hundred mules, and seven
hundred horses. For all these men and animals subsist-
ence had to be carried.
At Laramie a post was established and provisioned.
At or near Fort Hall a cantonment was erected and also
partially provisioned. Owing to the failure to arrive on
time of a supply train from the Willamette under Lieu-
tenant Hawkins, Colonel Loring's command, which had
pushed on to meet it, was reduced nearly to the point of
starvation, Hawkins having taken the southern route
and missed making the rendezvous. When the regiment
reached The Dalles many of the men were barefoot and
their horses too weak to carry them. In such sorry
plight were the Oregon Riflemen who, in Mexico, had
covered themselves with glory. At The Dalles they
found no better means of transportation than mackinaw
boats, canoes, and a yawl or two. Several men were
drowned in attempting to run the Cascade rapids on a
raft. Those who crossed the Cascade Mountains by the
Mount Hood road with the wagons and the herds suffered
severe hardships. Forest fires, steep hills, worn-out and
perishing stock, all conspired to add to their miserable
condition. The teamsters were not men bred to the ser-
vice, but adventurers picked up at Leavenworth who
were seeking opportunities to get to the California gold
mines. The regiment also was largely recruited from
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 125
this class of men. The deaths and desertions on the
march numbered seventy men — enough for a company.
The other losses by the way were thirty horses and nearly
three hundred mules. Forty-five wagons and one am-
bulance were among the abandoned property.
On arriving at their journey's end no quarters were
found prepared for their reception at Vancouver, and as
winter with its rains was setting in the soldiers were
quartered as best they could be at Oregon City. Their
presence in the metropolis of Oregon was anything but
delightsome to its inhabitants, who were soon made as
unhappy by the advent of troops as they had been pre-
viously by the want of them. When spring opened there
was a wholesale desertion of one hundred and twenty
riflemen organized into a company, which, by rapid
marching for two or three days, kept in advance of a
proclamation by the governor warning the farmers, off
whom the deserters expected to live, not to trust or har-
bor them. Their well concerted plan was to pass them-
selves off as a company sent out by the government to
purchase beef cattle on government credit.
Lane and Loring overtook one division in the valley
of the Umpqua, the governor returning to Oregon City
with seventy men in charge. The forward division
reached Klamath Kiver before it was overtaken by Col-
onel Loring, and thirty-five men escaped by canoe across
to the south side. With the remainder, which was in a
miserable condition from insufficient food and hard travel-
ing in snow, he returned after a two weeks' forced march,
leaving the fugitives to their fate, which undoubtedly was
death to some, if not all of them. Soon after this inci-
dent the artillerymen were removed from Vancouver to
Astoria, and the riflemen put to work erecting quarters
at the former place, by order of Gen. Persifer F. Smith,
commanding the Pacific division. The quartermaster
126 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
who superintended the erection of Fort Vancouver was
Capt. Rufus Ingalls, long and well known in Oregon.
The construction of barracks for the accommodation of
the riflemen and also for troops expected in the autumn,
was a task more difficult than might have been antici-
pated. Mechanical skill of any sort had never been a
feature of pioneer life ; but whatever assistance the Ore-
gonians might have given the army at other times, was
reduced to nought by the absence of the working element
in the mines of California. For the same reason (the
great demand made by mining), lumber was scarce and
high priced. Captain Ingalls had, therefore, to make
the best use he could of the abandoned buildings of the
Hudson's Bay Company, and to pay the soldiers wages
in addition to their regular pay to induce them to perform
the labor of cutting down timber and rafting it to Van-
couver. With the help of the Hudson's Bay Company,
however, a sufficient number of buildings were erected
or leased to shelter the troops in Oregon and on the road.
It was impossible at this time to secure a title to the
site (the United States land law not having been passed),
except by purchase or lease of the possessory rights of
the British fur company. A lease was accordingly taken
by the chief of the quartermaster's department, Maj. H.
D. Vinton, of the site of Vancouver, which became and
remains the military headquarters for the Columbia re-
gion. The same course was pursued at Steilacoom with
regard to the site of a fort.
A post was established at The Dalles, where two com-
panies of the rifle regiment were stationed in the spring
of 1850, under command of Maj. S. S. Tucker. A post
was in contemplation in Southern Oregon, but the temp-
tation to desertion on the road to the gold mines was too
great, and the design was abandoned for the time. Can-
tonment Loring, being found to be too far from a base of
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 127
supplies, and forage scarce, was evacuated. Thus, Ore-
gon began its military history with a few companies of
artillerymen and riflemen to maintain the peace from
Astoria to the South Pass, and from the forty-second to
the forty-ninth parallel. The government was not pre-
pared, nor was the army department equipped for such
extensive and expensive service. The outlay was enor-
mous in proportion to the population guarded ; and to
troops drawn from forts east of the Rocky Mountains, the
transfer was unwelcome.
The Oregon trail, which for several seasons following
the Cay use war had been practically deserted, after the
passage of the rifle regiment began to be again traveled,
and in 1852 the immigration to Oregon was large. In-
dian outrages increased, provoked not only by the inva-
sion of every part of the country by explorers and settlers,
but by the presence of soldiery, — the presumption being
that fighters were here to fight, and the Indians desired
to secure the advantage of a first blow.
Not only had the government provided fighting men,
but peacemakers in the appointment, in 1850, of a super-
intendent of Indian affairs (Anson Dart, of Wisconsin),
and three agents. It is not intended in this article to
give a history of Indian treaties, but only to indicate the
general course of events by referring to the effect of cer-
tain acts of government agents.
That part of the country most rapidly settling up was
the rich and well watered valley region west of the Cas-
cade Mountains and south of the Columbia River. No
trouble was had with the Indians of the Willamette, they
being but miserable fragments of tribes, more or less
accustomed to white neighbors. But the Umpqua and
Rogue River valleys and the coast region were unsubdued,
and were inhabited by warlike tribes whose practice had
been from time immemorial to rob and kill. White men,
128 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
whether travelers, settlers, or gold hunters, feared and
hated them, and oftentimes the transient classes, ani-
mated by fear, killed the wild man on sight with as little
compunction of conscience as they would have felt at
killing any wild animal. The Indians, on their side,
without taking into account that they had been the
aggressors in the first instance, revenged themselves by
massacres in the white settlements, and war became
necessary. That has been the history of the subdual of
the American continent from the Atlantic to Pacific, let
apologists on either side say what they will.
It has been charged upon the Oregon people that they
provoked Indian wars by wilfully wronging in various
ways the innocent natives. That the charge is untrue is
clear when it is remembered that, situated as they were
for years, without protection, they dared not, had they
desired, offer violence to the natives. It is true that the
presence of the Hudson's Bay Company while it was in
power restrained the Indians — and the white men as well.
It was after the arrival of the United States government
officers that wars became unavoidable, the necessity in-
creasing from year to year in the manner just referred to.
The rifle regiment, having proven a disturbance to
the people rather than a protection, was removed in 1851
to California, the Oregonians believing that if armed
they could protect themselves at less expense to the gov-
ernment than that required to transport and supply
regular troops. This probably was a wrong move, for
it placed the settlers and the natives in opposition to each
other as they had not been before. Hostilities opened by
the Rogue River Indians gathering to attack a division
of the riflemen under Major Kearney on its way to Cali-
fornia, and exploring for a road that would avoid the
Umpqua canyon. Kearney attacked them in a fortified
position at Table Rock, and was compelled to fall back
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 129
while a detachment was hurried up, with a volunteer
company from mining camps and settlements, when two
engagements of several hours duration each were fought,
the Indians losing heavily, and the riflemen having sev-
eral men wounded beside losing one officer — Capt. James
Stuart. This was the beginning of a long series of out-
rages and a protracted Indian war which was ended only
by the final conquest of the southern tribes of western
Oregon in 1856.
From 1851, when the territory was left with only two
skeleton companies of artillerymen, and they on Puget
Sound, for a period of fifteen years there was a succession
of "wars,' with a continually disturbed condition in
some part of the country. The "wars" after 1855 were
chiefly north of the Columbia, and thus in the territory
of Washington ; but the governors of the two divisions
of old Oregon chose to make a common interest of Indian
affairs, and did so. Military affairs, which formerly
were managed by the commander of the department of
the Pacific, were in 1858 -transferred to the department
of Oregon under command of General Harney, whose
ideas of Indian affairs in any department were more in
consonance with the popular view than those of any
general yet assigned to the Columbia region. By his
order the country closed to settlement or occupation east
of the Cascade Mountains was opened, exploration for
roads was carried on, and settlement encouraged. Im-
migration began again to flow along the Oregon trail.
Murders and outrages increased. Incursions of Indians
from Nevada preyed upon the growing cattle industry of
Eastern Oregon, and miners were compelled to go armed
at all times.
Such was the situation in Oregon and Washington
when civil war threatened the republic, and the govern-
130 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
ment was calling in the army from the outlying posts.
In 1861 less than seven hundred regulars, with nineteen
commissioned officers, were left in Oregon and Washing-
ton to garrison eight forts and temporary posts, located
at Colville, Walla Walla, The Dalles, Cascades, Vancouver,
Yamhill, Steilacoom, and San Juan Island. Col. George
Wright was placed in command of the district of Oregon
and Washington, and instructed to do the best he could
with this "corporal's guard.' To the governors and
people he apologized for the country's abandonment at
so critical a time, when Indian difficulties surrounded
them, and disunion plots were scarcely concealed in their
midst.
Hitherto the prejudice of the regular army against
volunteer organizations had operated to prevent the de-
fense of mineral districts and the routes of immigration,
although when news came of some fresh outrage, the
settlements nearest to the scene usually hurried out a
company, without waiting to get the news to Vancouver.
Of all the commanders, except Harney, who had been at
the head of military affairs in Oregon, Colonel Wright
was the most popular. He foresaw that he was likely
at any time to be ordered East, and that the country was
liable to be the scene of internal discord as well as border
warfare, and set about arranging for its protection.
In the summer of 1861 Wright made a requisition
upon Governor Whiteaker for a cavalry company, to be
enlisted for three years, unless sooner discharged, and
to serve in the United States army, under its rules and
regulations, the only exception being that the men should
furnish their own horses, for the use or loss of which they
would be compensated. Suspicion attaching to the gover-
nor of disunion sentiments, a doubt also extended to the
enrolling officer, the attempt failed, and the enlisted men
were discharged, on which Wright departed so far from
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 131
military etiquette as to summon together the loyal young
men of the state and address them in camp at Oregon
City, appealing to their patriotism to organize for services
in the field, even to fight Indians, in order to release the
regular troops for immediate duty in the East.
There was, indeed, no difficulty about raising one or
more regiments of the best blood in the state for services
in the East, to which their loyalty and their ambition
prompted them ; but not a man of them at this time
wanted to fight Indians. He wanted to get at a "foeman
worthy of his steel.' They were in this mood wrhen
Wright was transferred to California to suppress rebellion
in the southern part of that state, and Lieutenant Colonel
Cady, of the Seventh United States Infantry, took com-
mand of the District of Oregon. Promotions were rapid
during this period of military history. Before the end
of the year Colonel Wright was made brigadier general
and given the command of the Department of the Pacific.
As troops continued to be withdrawn from the several
Oregon posts, General Wright replaced them with volun-
teer companies from California. Three hundred and fifty
Californians were divided between Forts Yamhill and
Steilacoom, and soon after five companies arrived which
were stationed at The Dalles, Fort Walla Walla, and Fort
Colville.
This was a rebuke the loyal youth of the state could
understand ; and when in November, 1861, the war
department made Thomas R. Cornelius, of Hillsboro
(veteran of the Cay use and Yakima wars), a colonel,
directing him to raise ten companies of cavalry for three
years' service, there was no further hesitation. Although
expecting to be sent into the field against the Indians to
get a seasoning, it was believed that when they had
learned the trade of war they would be sent East to fight
the battles of their country should it come to that at last.
132 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
Said one of them to me years ago in reviewing this early
history, "It was thought as soon as we should become
disciplined, if the war should continue, we would be
taken East should there be no war on this coast. For
my own part I should have gone to the army of the
Missouri but for this understanding. '
The regimental officers of the First Oregon Cavalry
after the colonel were R. F. Maury, lieutenant colonel ;
C. S. Drew", major; J. S. Einearson, junior major, and
Benjamin F. Harding, quartermaster and mustering
officer. The pay for each man and horse was $31 a
month; $100 bounty at the expiration of service, with a
land warrant for one hundred and sixty acres. Camps
were established in Clackamas, Marion, and Jackson
counties. The first company, A, raised was in Jackson
County, T. S. Harris, captain; the second company, B,
in Ma.rion County, E. J. Harding, captain ; Company C
was raised at Vancouver, William Kelly, captain ; Com-
pany D in Jackson County, S. Truax, captain ; Company
E in Wasco County, George B. Currey, captain ; Com-
pany F chiefly in Josephine County, William J. Matthews,
captain. Adjutant, Richard S. Caldwell ; surgeon, Wil-
liam H. Watkins ; assistant surgeon, commissioned in
April, 1862, was David S. Holton, and quartermaster,
commissioned in February, 1862, was David W. Porter.
The first lieutenants commissioned in 1861 were Jesse
Robinson, Seth Hammer, John M. Drake, David P.
Thompson ; in January, 1862, William V. Rinehart and
Frank B. White.
The second lieutenants commissioned in 1861 were
John W. Hopkins, Charles Hobart, and John M. McCall ;
early in 1862 Peter Fox, William Kapus, James L. Steele,
and D. C. Underwood. These names, still well remem-
bered in Oregon, are those of the original First Oregon
Cavalry officers. During the three years' service some
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 133
i
changes occurred, but the regiment remained practically
the same for its full term.
The winter of 1861-'62 was one of extreme cold with
heavy snows. Miners who attempted to stay through
the season in their camps were driven out by the pros-
pect of starvation, and frozen to death, or killed by
Indians on the trail, when they became food for the fam-
ished savages. The spring floods brought down many
bodies of, or fragments of bodies, of these unhappy ad-
venturers, warning the volunteers of the nature of the
foes they were to encounter.
Volunteering went on tardily through the winter,
with headquarters at Vancouver. Eastern Oregon fur-
nished but forty men, recruited at The Dalles by Captain
Currey, and brought up to the standard by detachments
from other companies . This was the first company in the
field, a detachment being sent out early in March, by the
commanding officer at The Dalles, to find and search a
camp of Indians from the Simcoe Reservation suspected
of murdering a party of miners on John Day River. No
evidence being found in their camp, the detachment re-
turned from a disagreeable march on the fifth day, hav-
ing performed the first scouting duty of the regiment,
between the eighth and twelfth of March inclusive.
Captain Currey was not only an indefatigable officer
and good cavalryman, but a man possessed of a poetic
and literary turn of mind which is seldom found in con-
nection with the more active qualities. He was a sort
of Oregon "Teddy Roosevelt" in temperament, but un-
happily for him, deprived of the opportunity to shine.
This deprivation, that came from his being in the Oregon
cavalry, which he had joined in the hope and expectation
of being sent to fight for loyalty to his country, as time
dragged on through the weary three years in the Indian
service became an actual grief to him. This is apparent
134 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
in his report. But some of his private letters written
twenty years after the close of the war are touching ex-
pressions of his disappointment. That he performed his
duty well, and not only he, but the whole regiment, with
few exceptions, should not be forgotten by the passing,
nor unknown to the rising generations.
There was this peculiar feature about the cavalry
regiment that distinguishes it from other military organ-
izations. Besides being the voluntary offering of the best
homes of the state to the service of the country, the men
who composed it pledged themselves at the beginning to
temperance and pure living. If any violated their pledge
it was never reported.
Among those whom I have personally known is Hon.
James A. Waymire, son of that worthy pioneer, Fred
Waymire, of Polk County, known as the "apostle of
democracy' and "watch dog of the treasury" in terri-
torial times. James was a smooth-faced, rosy-cheeked
lad, having scarcely attained his majority when he
entered the service as a private in Company B, in Decem-
ber, 1861. He was mustered in as second lieutenant
April 13, 1863, and assigned to duty with Company D,
in which capacity he served until the disbandment of the
regiment in the autumn of 1864.
Lieutenant Waymire in his report to Adj. Gen. Cyrus
A. Reed has this passage : "I will say here that from my
personal knowledge I know that a great majority of the
men who composed the First Oregon Cavalry were young
men acting from a conviction of patriotic duty. They left
pleasant homes and profitable occupations to take up
arms, not only in defense of our frontiers against the In-
dians, but also to assist in preventing or countenancing
any movement on-the Pacific Coast in favor of the attempt
to dissolve the Union ; they also hoped that should the
war prove a long one, and should there be no serious
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 135
difficulty here they would, after becoming drilled and
disciplined, be ordered East to engage in active service
there. That they have fought no great battles, nor won
any important victories, is the misfortune and not the
fault of the Oregon volunteers.' It indeed required of
such men, and under such circumstances as the adjutant
general declared in his report, as much patriotism to
absent themselves from civilized society, and encounter
the hardships and privations of frontier savage warfare,
as did any service they could be Called upon to render.
It was midsummer of 1862 before all the six compa-
nies were uniformed, armed and mounted. The Dalles
company was ordered about the last of March to Camp
Barlow, near Oregon City, to be uniformed, and it was
July before it was clothed for the service, although in
May it was sent to Fort Walla Walla to do garrison duty.
The summer was spent in patroling the region about the
fort, arresting Indians who violated their .treaty obliga-
tions, and performing escort duty on the Oregon Trail, or
to the mines. Detachments went to Coeur d'Alene Mis-
sion, Fort Colville, Umatilla Indian Reservation, and to
the mouth of Palouse River to guard a depot of govern-
ment freight intended for Fort Colville. In this way the
eighty men in Company E were kept on duty and in
motion.
In August Captain Currey was ordered to proceed to
Grand Ronde and arrest three Indian chiefs who were
driving settlers from their claims and tearing down their
houses. When found and told that they were wanted
by the commanding officer at Fort Walla Walla, they an-
swered that they were on their own land, and if the officer
desired to see them, he must come there. During the
parley, other Indians gathered about, and Captain Currey,
seeing that to fulfill his orders force would have to be
used, entered the lodge of the principal chief with the
136 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
intention of binding them. On this two of the Indians
made demonstrations with rifle and revolver, and their
motions being less quick and certain than the white
man's, both were shot. At the same time exchanges of
shots were going on outside, two Indians being killed
and another wounded. At this reverse, the band fled,
and the troops were ordered to cease firing, while word
was sent to them to return and bury their dead ; Captain
Currey explaining to them that he had not come with the
intention of killing any of them, but that he must obey
orders, and their armed resistance had brought on the
fight. A report of the affair was sent to General Wright,
who approved. This was one form of service. Another
was scouting.
The aggregate distance traveled by Currey 's company
in 1862 was three thousand miles. Then came a winter
in garrison at Walla Walla. "This," says the captain,
"of all duty the volunteer soldiers are called upon to per-
form, is the most harrassing, tedious, and abominable.'
On the return of spring, scouting and pursuing preda-
tory raiders kept the troops in motion. A detachment
of Company E, under Lieutenant Monroe of the First
Washington Infantry Regiment, in a forced march to
overtake thieves w^ho had driven off sixty head of gov-
ernment mules traveled two hundred miles ; but near the
junction of the Okanogan Trail and the Columbia River,
and while attempting to cross a high mountain range
was compelled to turn back by a snow storm which cov-
ered the trail to a depth of two feet. Two citizen em-
ployees of the quartermaster's department, with great
determination pushed on, coming up with the thieves,
three in number, the next day at sunrise surprising and
shooting two of them before being discovered. The third
being but a lad, and an Indian, was taken into their em-
ploy, proving a valuable assistant, as the white men had
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 137
frozen their feet in crossing the mountain. But imme-
diately upon Lieutenant Monroe's departure becoming
known in Walla Walla town, news was sent to the mule
thieves by their fellows. On learning this, the command-
ing officer at the fort sent out another detachment under
Lieutenant Apperson to overtake Lieutenant Monroe and
give him assistance. Finding, after traveling one hun-
dred and twenty-five miles, that he was not going to be
able to come up with him, and not having rations or
forage for more than ten days, Apperson returned to
Walla Walla, when Captain Currey was instructed to take
twenty cavalrymen and thirty days rations, and renew
the pursuit. Snake River was crossed on the evening of
the twelfth of March, 1863, the men in an Indian canoe,
and the horses swimming — the river being three hundred
yards wide, swift, and very cold. This expedition which
in four days met the mule rescuers returning and turned
back, "is only mentioned," says Currey in his report, "to
present the fact that forty-eight head of horses belonging
to Company E made forced marches and swam Snake
River when its waters were winter cold, as preparatory
training for a summer campaign.' To complete the
mule stealing incident, Currey was ordered to take six
men and proceed to Lapwai on the Nez Perce Indian
Reservation a hundred miles distant, with the Indian lad
in charge to be tried for horse stealing, the punishment
for which was hanging, if proved guilty. He was
acquitted and the detachment marched back again.
Fort Walla Walla was at this period commanded by
Col. Justin Steinberger, Colonel Cornelius having re-
signed. Steinberger was colonel of the First Washington
Infantry, and belonged to Pierce County in that terri-
tory. He went to California and raised four companies
to fill out his regiment, reporting at Vancouver early in
May, 1862, relieving Colonel Cady of the command of
138 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
the district until July, when Brigadier General Alvord
arrived to take command, and Steinberger repaired to
Walla Walla to assume command of the post resigned
by Cornelius.
On the fourth of May, 1863, a long contemplated ex-
pedition against the Snake Indians was set on foot by
Colonel Steinberger, Lieutenant Colonel Maury of the
cavalry being assigned to the command of the expedi-
tion, which was intended to punish the Snakes for
atrocities committed in 1860, as well as to protect the
immigration of the current year. At the same time there
was need of troops on the Nez Perce Reservation, where
trouble was threatened between two political parties
among the Indians, a portion, under Lawyer, being favor-
able to Americans, and another division under Big Thun-
der, opposing the passage of miners across the reservation.
That there was some justification for this opposition was
probable, but it could not be allowed to bring on a war,
especially with the Nez Perces, who had never yet been
at war with the white race.
The population of Eastern Oregon was at this period
increasing rapidly. The two principal causes operating
to produce this increase were the civil war, from which
many southern and southwestern men desired to escape,
and the mining excitement which drew large numbers to
the Northwest Pacific Coast from 1860 to 1865, and later.
To such an extent had the rush to the mines depopu-
lated Western Oregon of its able-bodied men that a call
made in January, 1863, for six companies to fill up the
First Cavalry Regiment produced only one during the
whole summer, and it was feared a draft would be re-
sorted to. The state had not raised her share of troops
for the United States service, and had but seven com-
panies in the field, while California had not only nine
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 139
regiments, but Californians were serving in Oregon and
Washington.
Troops were needed at various points on the frontier
and posts at Boise and Klamath, the latter for the pro-
tection of the immigration by the southern route, on
which some bloody massacres had occurred. Accord-
ingly, in the spring of 1863, the government having con-
sented, Major Drew, of the Oregon Cavalry, who had
been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, sent
Captain Kelly with Company C to construct and garri-
son a fort on the Klamath lands near the head of Upper
Klamath Lake. These two expeditions left but two of
the cavalry companies to be employed in keeping the
peace between white men and Indians, pursuing horse
thieves, white and red, and arresting whisky sellers and
highwaymen. In this service, often requiring long
inarches, the cavalry horses were kept worn down.
The expedition into the Snake country proceeded from
Fort Walla Walla to Lapwai to be present at a council
of United States commissioners with the chiefs of the
Nez Perces, trouble being apprehended ; the object of the
commission being to secure the relinquishment of a cer-
tain part of the reservation in order to open a safe high-
way to the mineral regions lying east of it. To make a
treaty, with a handful of white men on one side and
twenty-five hundred Indians on the other, a part of whom
were openly hostile to the measure, was an undertaking
straining to the nerves of the commissioners. But the
policy of Lawyer prevailed, — together with the knowledge
that ammunition was issued to the troops and the post
put in condition for defense.
To make sure of the intentions of the Nez Perces,
Colonel Maury ordered Captain Currey to take twenty
men at midnight and proceed to the council ground, two
140 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
miles distant from the post, to make observations. Ac-
companied by Lieutenant Kapus, regimental adjutant
of the Washington Territory Infantry, he entered a lodge
where fifty-three chiefs and sub-chiefs were deliberating
on the propositions of the commissioners. Says Currey
in his report :
"The debate ran with dignified firmness and warmth
until near morning, when the Big Thunder party made
a formal announcement of their determination to take no
further part in the treaty, and then with a warm, and in
an emotional manner, declared the Nez Perce nation dis-
solved ; whereupon the Big Thunder men shook hands
with the Lawyer men, telling them with a kind but firm
demeanor that they would be friends, but a distinct
people. It did not appear from the tone of their short,
sententious speeches, that either party was meditating
present outbreak. I withdrew my detachment, having
accomplished nothing but witnessing the extinguishment
of the last council fires of the most powerful Indian na-
tion on the sunset side of the Rocky Mountains.' The
"treaty" was really no more than the agreement of Law-
yer and his band, numbering less than a third of the Nez
Perce people.
While the council of the commissioners and chiefs
was in progress, word was brought that a band of rene-
gades from the Yakimas, Palouse, and Nez Perces was
encamped three miles from the council ground, with the
purpose of stirring up discord and causing the rejection
of the treaty. Captains Drake and Currey a with detach-
ments of Companies D and E, were ordered to proceed
by night, surround their camp, and at daylight put them
across Clearwater River with the admonition to remain
away or take the consequences . This being accomplished ,
complaint being made that two white men had erected a
house on, and laid claim to a portion of the reservation
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 141
lands, Captain Currey took his company twelve miles
down the river to the squatters' cabin, which his men
demolished and threw into the river. In this impartial
manner military government maintained something like
order over a wild and lawless region.
On the thirteenth of June Maury's expedition left
Lapwai for the Snake-river country. This part of Currey's
report is very interesting from his descriptions of regions
that had not been frequented by white men since the fur-
hunting companies had roamed over them. The com-
mand passed up Lapwai Creek, and from Craig's Mountain
traveled through broken ridges to Salmon River where a
ferry enabled them to cross the train of a hundred and
fifty pack mules without swimming. In crossing the
high ridge between the Salmon and Snake rivers, how-
ever, several of these animals lost their footing, and were
precipitated down the rock-ribbed mountain sides.
In this manner the command passed several days,
resting one day at the head of Little Salmon ; passing
over another ridge to the head of Payette River, where
it again rested, while a detachment under Currey pro-
ceeded southward to the headwaters of Weiser River to
look for signs of Snake River Indians, finding only a
deserted camp.
According to Currey, on the head of Payette River are
located the most beautiful valleys of Idaho, the moun-
tains that wall them in being covered with pine and
tamarack trees, and the prairies verdant with nutritious
grasses and clover, watered with trout streams. This
region, he says, was in former times the debatable land
between the Snakes and Nez Perces, where once a three
days battle was fought for its possession and the Snakes
driven off, until more settled habits had been adopted by
the Nez Perces, when it relapsed to its ancient claimants.
At the period of his visit he was convinced it had for
142 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
several years been the refuge of a band of Snakes which
had plundered white travelers and settlers, successfully
eluding pursuit or discovery.
The march from the Weiser to Boise River proved "a
pleasant country to travel through.' When the Oregon
troops arrived at the latter river they found Major Lugen-
beel of the regular army, from Fort Colville, on the
ground, having arrived the day previous, July 1, 1863,
with men, materials, and supplies for the establishment
of a post, which was named Fort Boise, near which Boise
City soon grew up.
Here Maury's command was encamped for several
days awaiting supplies and preparing for the long march
to Fort Hall, that was eagerly anticipated, but which
proved in experience to be more wearisome by its monot-
ony than the mountains by their roughness and dangers.
The prairies and streams passed on the march are now
well known and need not be mentioned.
No serious encounters with Indians occurred on the
march to Fort Hall. Only one scout of any importance
was made, which was from Little Camas Prairie, in
search of a considerable band of Snake Indians rumored
to be encamped fifty miles off, and near the trail. But
the night march brought to light no Indian camps. A
depot of supplies was established at Trail Creek, and
while it was being made secure, Currey with twenty men
was sent to look for Indians down the Malade, which,
the report says, is called a river more from the habit of
calling every running stream a river, than from the quan-
tity of water in its channel. "For miles this industrious
little stream has mortised its way through a lava bed by
the process known as 'pot-holing.' The walls of the
stream vary from five to twenty feet in height, resembling
an unfinished mortise before the concave clefts of the
auger have been cut away by the chisel. The concaves
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 143
left by the broken pot-holes vary in diameters from one
inch to five feet.'
On the fourth day of Currey's scout in this region he
came upon a camp, recently abandoned, in which the
camp fires were still burning, and pushing on overtook
this band of a dozen tepees, located on the river bottom
almost beneath the feet of the pursuing troop. Every
chance of escape being cut off, the chief displayed all his
people unarmed, with their hands held up. "Although, '
says the chronicler, "we had then trailed the party for
four days, one day without rations, I could not consent
to fire upon an unarmed and supplicating foe," and only
laid them under contribution for a supply of salmon,
though he carried off their chief to receive the judgment
of his superior. Two hundred miles of hard traveling
had resulted in the capture of one Indian.
The command proceeded to the Port Neuf, six miles
from Fort Hall, remaining until the last of the immigra-
tion had passed, when it began its homeward march. At
Salmon Falls Creek it remained long enough to gather
in the Indians pretending friendship to inform them of
the determination henceforth to let no outrages upon
white people pass unpunished. It was expected that
this message would be communicated by these friendlies
to the hostile members of the tribe, as no doubt it was.
The effect of this pacification, however, would be to warn
the hostiles to keep out of the way, while the unarmed
and old peace men displayed their submission to the
soldiers by holding up empty hands.
While in camp at this place Currey was ordered to
make another scout across the desert that lay between
Snake River and the Goose Creek Range [Seven Peaks?]
to the southwest. With twenty men and ten days' rations
the expedition set out. A four days' march brought it,
through sagebrush and lava ridges, to Salmon Falls
144 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
Creek [West Fork?] , a stream which ran through a can-
yon from one thousand to two thousand feet in depth,
with nearly perpendicular walls, and few places where a
descent to it was possible for man or horse. The wrater
famine was somewhat relieved by a rainstorm.
The point traveled for w^as a snow peak of the Goose
Creek Mountains [Seven Peaks] , two days' travel from
Salmon Falls Creek [West Fork] , where at the foot of
the peak on the morning of the seventh day a smoke was
discovered, and the supposed encampment surrounded.
"We found," says the captain, "a lordly Indian, 'monarch
of all he surveyed.' His kingdom consisted of two wives,
seven children, eight horses, and some camp equipage.'
Out of commiseration for his wives and children, he was
allowed to remain in peace and accumulate more horses.
On the thirtieth of September, from observations taken
in passing along the northern base of Goose Creek Moun-
tains [Seven Peaks], it was discovered that the "Seven
Peaks' were only seven views of the same mountain as
seen from the east side ; and that the Bruneau River
gathered its waters from the north side, while the Owyhee
was fed by the snows of the south side. Within a few
miles the tributaries of the Bruneau were gathered to-
gether, and entered "one of the most terrific chasms my
wanderings have brought me to shudder on the brink of,'
says the report. "With this immense fissure on my right,
sagebrush and trap rock beneath my feet, the hazy, death-
like sky of Snake River over my head, and a cloud of alkali
dust hurled by the sagebrush in my eyes, ears, and nos-
trils, I picked my way as best I could for myself and men.
The principal object of solicitude in these desert marches,
is water for your men and animals ; and here, although
a river of respectable magnitude was rippling cool and
clear, whose margin walls broke surface within a rod to
our right, yet to go down there after it required wings —
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 145
which, unfortunately for the service, the Oregon cavalry
were not supplied with. At intervals gulches break the
face of the margin wall, and down these, with much labor
in rolling stones and smoothing, a way can be made down
which the thirsty horses and men will force themselves
when urged by the strongest of all possible inducements —
desire for water on a sagebrush desert. While passing
down the river we got one drink a day in the manner
above described.
Down in one of these deep canyons we found three
Indians, who claimed to be Conner's Indians, and as
General Conner and the governor of Utah had sent the
commanding officer of the expedition notice that they
had treated with the Bannocks, as a matter of course we
twenty would not molest three. Besides their discovery
was rather fortunate for us, as the morning before finding
them our last ration, one half inch square of flatcake,
was devoured, and we relished some fresh elk, procured
from the Indians, exceedingly.'
In this painful and apparently useless manner the
march continued down the Bruneau River; losing the trail
at night, examining it by the light of "Dutch' matches,
for horse tracks ; finding one dead Indian which seemed
to say that some part of the command had been in a
skirmish in that region ; scrambling down precipices two
thousand feet in depth to siake intolerable thirst, and
marching the last day without food, it came up with an-
other detachment under Lieutenant Apperson with a de-
tachment of Company A, who was encamped fifteen miles
further down stream. From Apperson supplies were
obtained, and Currey's command returned to the main
camp, having traveled in eleven days about four hundred
miles. On this march, "with the exception of two camps
on Goose Creek Mountains [Seven Peaks] , the remainder
were made in fissures of the earth so deep that neither the
146 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
'Polar Star' or the 'Seven Pointers' could be seen.' The
return to Fort Walla Walla was by the dusty emigrant
road, and over the Blue Mountains covered with snow,
arriving October 26, 1863 — the expedition having been on
the march five months. With all their hardships the
troops preferred such service to garrison life, than which,
declared Currey, no better system could be devised to
alienate men from their officers, chill the enthusiasm of
troops, sap the foundation of patriotism, and destroy the
efficiency of the army, leaving them exposed to tempta-
tions, to vice, and the enervating influence of aimless
formality and self-abnegation.
Holding such views it was with pleasure that, after
a brush with the renegade band on the Palouse in March,
1864, Currey received notice from Brigadier General
Alvord that he would be sent into the Snake country
again. Accordingly on the twenty-eighth of April, an
expedition was organized, consisting of Companies E, A,
and a part of F, Currey commanding ; Lieut. John Bowen,
Company F, adjutant ; Lieut. Silas Pepoon, acting assist-
ant quartermaster and A. C. S. ; Sergt. Peter P. Gates,
sergeant major; Capt. W. V. Rinehart, commanding
Company A, and Lieut. James L. Currey, commanding
Company E. The train consisted of one hundred and
three pack mules and eight army wagons drawn by six
mules each, with a traveling forge. The troops, says
their commander, were "a noble set of Oregon men, well
drilled and in an excellent state of discipline, eager for
service and anxious to accomplish something.'
In crossing the Umatilla Indian Reservation, camp
was made at the foot of the Blue Mountains, to which the
Cayuses were invited, with the object of securing volun-
teers among them to go against their old enemies, the
Snakes. A war dance was held, the result of which was
ten volunteers, under Chief Umahontilla. These war-
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 147
riors, glad of an opportunity to strike their hereditary
foe, furnished their own horses, two to each man, and
without pay or the promise of it, joined the white cav-
alry. But Currey's desire was for a considerable force of
Indians, which might have been had for $10 a month per
man, their clothing and rations, and the use of the arms
furnished them, with their ammunition.
"With well trained troops, and one hundred riders
equal to the Cossacks in agility, and the Mamelukes in
bravery and intrepidity, fired by their hereditary hatred
of the Snakes, there can be no doubt but that the spring
flowers of 1865 would have come and found peace upon
our borders — so long the scene of plunder, massacre, and
torture.' * * "This digression," continues the
report, "has been indulged in, not to reflect upon the
military leaders of the country, nor with the hope of
instructing the political rulers of the land, but to- give
expression to an opinion pretty generally entertained by
the subordinate officers doing military duty on our bor-
ders, where important and decisive action is constantly
demanded at their hands without adequate force where-
with to accomplish it.'
This abstract is, here made to show the spirit in which
the Oregon volunteers performed their duties, at no time
agreeable or wholly satisfactory. That they desired to
have something to show for their three years' services,
we are frequently reminded by paragraphs like the fol-
lowing : "When I visited this valley (the Grande Ronde)
in 1862, what is now a thriving village of over a hundred
houses, consisted of a single house, without any roof, and
another up to the top of the valley that the settlers have
thrown up as a fort against the Indians. I do not remem-
ber any others except those in La Grande. Now the whole
valley is dotted with farm houses. This great change,
148 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
I flattered myself, was materially aided by the night ride
of 1862."
There is not space in a magazine article to continue
the details which give interest to Currey's report. His
objective point being the Owyhee, it is only necessary to
say that after leaving the emigrant road, about the hiid-
dle of May, the experiences of the previous summer were
repeated — riding among rocks and sagebrush through the
long, hot days to come at last to a stream several hundred
feet below the surface of the surrounding country. Some
of the descriptive passages are very interesting ; indeed, I
know of no traveler in the Northwest, unless it is Theodore
Winthrop, whose word pictures of natural objects are
equal to those of our acting colonel of the First Oregon
Cavalry. Here is something from the Owyhee country :
"The region immediately opposite the mouth of Jor-
dan Creek has a weird, antiquated look ; it is one of the
unusual landscapes wherein the wind has been the most
powerful and active agent employed by Dame Nature to
complete her exterior. The formation is of greyish red
sandstone, soft, and under the capricious workings of the
wind for centuries, has assumed shapes strange and fan-
tastic. Here stands a group of towers ; there is an arch-
way curiously shaped ; yonder is a tunnel running the
face of a sandstone ledge hundreds of feet from the bot-
tom. The whole catalogue of descriptive antique might
be exhausted in giving fanciful names to the created re-
sults of this aerial architecture. The spectacle of seeing
my command wind its way through this temple of the
wind was pleasing, and one that will long be remembered
by the most who beheld it.'
Camp Henderson was established on Gibb's Creek,
about eight miles from the mouth of Jordan Creek, on
the twenty-sixth of May, 1864, — distant from Walla
Walla three hundred and thirty miles, — and the tents
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 149
having been left at Fort Boise to lighten transportation,
the troopers made themselves wickeups out of willow
wands, grass, canes, or sagebrush, which served as shel-
ter from the burning desert sun.
On the twenty -eighth of May, Currey, with Campanies
A and E, mounted for a ride to a snow peak in the south-
west. "After thumping along all day through sagebrush
and loose trap rock without water, a short time before
sundown, the sergeant of Company E, who had been
sent to the top of a neighboring height to examine the
country around for appearances of water, returned to the
command and reported a large lake about two miles
further on. This encouraged us, and tumbling more
than marching we reached the bottom of a canyon that
led into our prospective lake, and just as the sun was
passing behind the dark ridge of basalt to our west.
But what was our surprise and disappointment upon
nearing it to find that it did not contain a drop of water.
It was nothing but an extensive tract of perfectly smooth,
yellow clay — smooth as the drying yard of the brick-
maker. It was the mirage caused by this flat, hard sur-
face that deceived us. At a hundred yards from it Old
Neptune himself would have wagered his trident that it
was a beautiful sheet of water, but he would have lost.
While riding towards it I heard men, when within less
than fifty yards of it, offering to wager six months' pay
that it was a lake we were approaching, so complete was
the deception. Passing over this deceptive ground, in
about two miles, at the foot of a high ridge, we luckily
found some beautiful springs and a nook of excellent
grass. Part of the Indians accompanied me on this
scout, and so much did one of them suffer for water
that when we reached the springs he had completely lost
his hearing in one of his ears, and could hardly see his
horse . ' '
150 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
The morning following Alvord Valley was discovered
and a place selected for a summer camp, the indications
being that this valley was the headquarters of a consider-
able body of Indians. On the return to Camp Hender-
son the troop amused itself for an hour with the mirage
on the dry lake, which performed an amusing panto-
mime, figures of men and horses moving over its surface,
some high in the air, while others were sliding to right
or left like weavers' shuttles. Some horses appeared
stretched out to an enormous length, while others spin-
dled up, the moving tableau "representing everything
contortions and capricious reflections could do.'
Returning by a different but not easier route to Gibbs'
Creek, the" command remained in camp until June 2,
when a scouting party which was out for three days
found and killed five unarmed Snake Indians. While
awaiting the arrival of the quartermaster's train at Camp
Henderson, Captain Rinehart was sent on a scout up the
Owyhee River, and during his absence a settler on Jor-
dan Creek arrived in haste to report Indians in his neigh-
borhood. On this information the main force started in
pursuit, finding only satisfactory proofs that the Indians
seen were Currey's Cayuse scouts, and they had taken a
forced night ride in pursuit of themselves !
On the sixteenth of June, the supply train having
arrived, the whole command set out by a new route for
Alvord Valley. It consisted at this time of one hundred
and thirty-three officers and men, having been joined at
the mouth of the Owyhee by twenty-nine non-commis-
sioned officers and privates of the First Washington
Infantry, officered by Capt. E. Barry, Lieutenant Harden-
burg, and Assistant Surgeon Cochran, U. S. A. Twelve
miles from camp a rest of two days was taken, the horses
being much jaded, this being the first rest of the whole
command since the twenty-eighth of April. The re-
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 151
mainder of the march — thirty-four miles — to Camp
Alvord was completed on the nineteenth, when all
arrived, "the infantry very much fatigued.'
Satisfied that a large body of Indians had been re-
cently encamped in Alvord Valley, a place was chosen
by Currey at the foot of Stein's Mountain for a depot of
supplies, and a star-shaped fort erected of earthworks.
Through it ran a stream of snow water from the moun-
tains, and altogether, this spot was deemed a paradise in
comparison with the camps left behind. Leaving Camp
Alvord on the twenty-second with the greater portion of
the cavalry, Currey started for Harney Lake, where he
was ordered by the department commander to form a
junction with Capt. John M. Drake, in command of an
expedition starting from The Dalles.
Marching north by an old Indian trail, with grass
and water abundant and excellent, Malheur Lake was
reached on the evening of the twenty -fourth. Here, in-
stead of dry alkali lakes Malheur was found to be a wet
one, and not in the least amusing, as the approaches
were crossed by alkali marshes, and the shallow water
was unfit to drink. Harney Lake was found to lie to the
west of, and to be connected with Malheur Lake. In
order to reach it a stream from the south had to be
crossed, requiring a half days travel to find a ford, a
passage being affected by cutting and piling in willow
brush, which was made compact by sods of grass. At
the moment the front rank of cavalry reached the bank
a loud clap of thunder burst overhead, from which inci-
dent the stream was named Thunder River, while one of
its headwaters took the euphonious name of Blitzen
River.
Not finding Captain Drake at Harney Lake, Currey
proceeded to look for Indians, and was on a tributary of
Silvie's River when at midnight of the thirtieth a cour-
152 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
t
ier from Drake overtook him with the information that
he was at Rattlesnake Camp on a small stream coming
from the mountain rim encircling the Valley of Harney
and Malheur Lakes. The two commands now acted in
concert. The first attack was on the thirteenth of July,
when the Cayuse scouts were pursued almost into camp
by the Snakes, and on that afternoon the trail of the In-
«/ * .
dians was discovered. In following it the next day
through the canyon of the south fork of John Day River,
the troops were fired on from the overhanging rocks.
Captain Drake with Company D scrambled up the sides
of the canyon. Captain Rinehart was posted in the rear,
and the remainder of the command took positions in the
bottom of the canyon and fired a volley or two to draw
the attention of the Indians away from Drake's move-
ments. In about an hour Drake got his men on a level
with the Indians, when after receiving one volley they
fled. The pursuit, continued until the following after-
noon, was fruitless. The Indians were not overtaken,
but the valley was relieved of their presence. Neither
the Indians nor the cavalrymen had sustained much
harm. Hoping to discover other bands, which if not
found would renew depredations upon settlers and miners
in the John Day region and on the Canyon City Road,
the remainder of July was spent in patroling this high-
way and scouting to the south of it, but without results.
While encamped one night near the Eugene City road
an express arrived from Fort Boise bringing news of a
raid in Jordan Valley. The command was then three
hundred and fifty miles from Jordan Creek, and had not
rested a day since leaving Camp Alvord. And yet the
Oregon and California newspapers commented severely
upon the failure of the cavalry to prevent or to punish
Indian raids. "The California press is more excusable,'
says Currey, "than the Oregon ; but the unjust criticism
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 153
that we received from the Oregon press did more to make
my command lag than a thousand miles of hard march-
ing over the most inhospitable desert that can be found
in North America.'
And here the historian may make a digression to ex-
plain that both the Oregon press and the Oregon cavalry
were at that time unaware of the fact that it was not the
Snake Indians whose raids gave so much trouble, but in-
cursions of Nevada and Utah tribes, with some Shoshones
from the upper Snake River, who were responsible for
the robberies, murders, and other atrocities committed
for years in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho, a record
of which would fill a large volume. It was only after the
close of the civil war, when the regular army was released
from service against rebellion, that troops could be sent
to the relief of the frontier settlements, and bv that time
V
border warfare had assumed such proportions that many
regiments, much money, and much time were required
to subdue the savage foe. The southern invaders knew
every movement of the volunteer companies, which they
could observe from their hiding places in the rocks,
from which they did not emerge when danger seemed to
threaten. They knew where to find water and grass, and
could sleep in peace while the cavalry wore out men and
horses in night rides to hunt trails which they were too
cunning to leave. Camp Alvord, at the foot of Stein's
Mountain, was almost at the entrance to a rocky defile,
up which they fled to a place of safety when alarmed by
the approach of an enemy. In a country so immense
and so rough as the deserts of Southeastern Oregon and
Southwestern Idaho looking for Indians, was like search-
ing for the legendary "needle in the haymow.'
I have not room to go much further into detail. The
object in view has been to show the spirit of the services
rendered, and why it accomplished little more than to
154 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
train a regiment of young Oregonians for military duty.
It was the twelfth of August before Currey 's command
reached Camp Alvord, by which time two thirds of his
men were suffering from disorders peculiar to armies
kept continually on the march in hot climates without
proper diet. It was about this time, and from seeing in
what direction a party of marauders fled after a slight
skirmish, that Currey became convinced of the character
of the enemy, and that he held a defensive position
among the crags of Stein's Mountain.
Acting upon this conclusion an expedition was under-
taken and prosecuted as far as the Pueblo mining district,
in the northern border of Nevada. A small party of
Piutes was captured, but such was the fear of savage
vengeance that Currey was entreated by the miners to
spare the Indians, who deserved hanging for past crimes.
The return made for this undeserved clemency was the
murder a few months later of these same miners.
On returning to Alvord Valley, which was now seen
to be the base of all the thieving operations in Eastern
Oregon, Currey suggested to the district commander,
General Alvord, the utility to the service of maintaining
Camp Alvord through the winter, but the suggestion not
being approved by the department commander, General
McDowell, the camp was abandoned September 26. The
following spring and summer many lives and much prop-
erty were destroyed on the roads leading from the Sacra-
mento Valley to the Idaho mines.
The wagon train was sent to Fort Boise, and the
cavalry returned north. On the sixteenth of October,
Currey was met by an express from district headquarters,
stating that southern sympathizers in Oregon threatened
an outbreak on the day of the presidential election, and
directing him to be at Fort Dalles on that day with Com-
pany E. On the twenty-sixth the command was in camp
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 155
near Fort Walla Walla, and dissolved the same evening,
Company A going into garrison, Company F to Lapwai,
Company E beginning its march to The Dalles on the
twenty-eighth of October, and arriving November sixth,
when it went into garrison. Currey was ordered to Van-
couver and assigned to recruiting service. This ended
his connection with the First Oregon Cavalry, being ap-
pointed in the spring of 1865 to the command of the
First Oregon Infantry Regiment.
It is not pretended that this article is a history of the
First Oregon Cavalry — "only a photograph," in the slang
language. From the reports of the various officers an
interesting volume might be written. One of the earliest
encounters with the enemy in the field, in 1863, was by
the youthful second lieutenant, James A. Waymire, as-
signed to duty with Company D. Waymire was with
Colonel Maury on his march to Fort Hall and back.
While Maury was encamped near the mouth of the Bru-
neau River the lieutenant was sent with twenty men to
punish any Indians he might find in that region. Mov-
ing up the stream and scouting, on the first of October
the scouts reported a large body of Indians encamped in
a canyon a mile ahead. Fearing that they would escape
if alarmed, Waymire pushed forward with eleven men,
finding the Indians in a rocky defile three hundred feet
deep, through which ran the river and seemingly inac-
cessible. A volley brought about thirty armed men out
of the wickeups, who posted themselves behind rocks,
and, when Waymire dismounted his men on the brink of
the canyon, opened a brisk fire on them. This was re-
turned with effect, and the Indians attempted to escape.
This so excited the cavalrymen that they scrambled down
the rocks, waded the stream, and followed in hot pursuit
for some distance. Five Indians were killed, several
4
156 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
American horses captured that had recently been stolen
from immigrants, and a large supply of ammunition and
provisions, obtained in the same way, destroyed.
The following spring Lieutenant Waymire left Fort
Dalles under orders to proceed with twenty-five men, and
supplies for ninety days, to the south fork of John Day
River and encamp at some point best calculated to pro-
tect the settlers against incursions from the Indians. He
was instructed to treat the friendly Indians from Warm
Springs Reservation with kindness ; and if opportunity
occurred to investigate the charge that they committed
any of the frequent depredations along the Canyon City
road.
Way mire's command marched a hundred and fifty
miles from The Dalles in severe weather, reaching the
south fork, March 15, 1864, where it established Camp
Lincoln. On the nineteenth with a detachment of fifteen
men the lieutenant proceeded to Canyon City where he
learned that a few days previous Indians had made a
raid on the ranch of a citizen, driving off about one hun-
dred mules and horses, and that the owner of the ranch
with a party of volunteers had gone in pursuit. Leaving
word that he held himself in readiness to pursue the
thieves on receiving information that there was any
likelihood of overtaking them, he awaited such informa-
tion. Word came to him on the twenty- second that
twenty citizens were on the trail of the Indians, at Har-
ney Lake, where they waited for supplies, and that thirty
more men, with plenty of provisions and transportation
would start immediately to re-inforce them.
Waymire sent word that he would co-operate with
them, and asked that guides be sent to bring him to their
camp. With eighteen men and twenty days rations he
set out on the twenty-fourth, encountering severe weather
with snow, sleet, and ice, delaying the march an entire
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 157
day. On the thirtieth he reached the volunteer camp
ninety miles from his own, finding a company of citizens
fifty-four strong, commanded byC. H. Miller ("Joaquin'
Miller), and two lieutenants, elected by the company,
which Miller represented to be thoroughly organized.
On the thirty-first Miller took twenty men of his
company toward the upper end of the valley, intending
to cross the Silvies River to scout on the other side. Be-
ing unable to find a ford the re-united commands marched
south along the eastern side of the valley, where the In-
dian trail led, to the southeastern border. Here severe
weather again detained the commands in camp until the
fourth of April, when scouts reported a large valley
fifteen miles ahead. (The same discovered by Currey's
command later in the year.) On the fifth the expedition
crossed the ridge between the two valleys, finding in the
southern one evidences of a recent encampment of about
one hundred Indians. "They seem,' ' reported Waymire,
"to subsist to a great extent upon horse and mule flesh,
as a great number of bones which were lying about the
campfires, and from which the meat had been taken,
plainly indicated.'
Continuing the march, on the sixth the scouts re-
ported signal fires to the south. The cavalry were de-
ployed as skirmishers, but found no enemy, although an
Indian village, recently deserted, with fires still burning,
and which had contained about one hundred inhabitants,
was found. These had left about their deserted fires half-
cooked horse flesh, baskets, ropes, furs, and trinkets,
showing the haste with which they had abandoned their
encampment ; and the tracks all led towards the moun-
tains, up a gorge of which two stragglers were observed
to be fleeing. They were overtaken by two citizens, their
horses captured, and one of the thieves wounded. Before
the command could come up the Indians had disappeared.
158 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
It was now certain that the marauding bands which
gave so much trouble to settlers, miners, teamsters, emi-
grants, and other travelers, enjoyed a safe retreat in the
mountains of Southeastern Oregon. Hoping to find their
winter quarters, at 3 o'clock on the following morning
Waymire with fifteen cavalrymen, and Miller with thirty-
two citizens, set out to discover this resort. A large smoke
being observed about three miles distant, Waymire dis-
patched Sergeant Casteel with privates Cyrus R. Ingra-
ham, John Himbert, Company D, and George N. Jaquith,
a citizen acting under his command, to reconnoiter the
position and return as soon as possible to the command.
At 7 o'clock in the morning, the citizen company being
in advance, mistook a flock of geese on the plain two
miles below for a band of horses, and made a charge
which exhausted their riding animals, making them unfit
for efficient service during the day. (This was the effect
of the mirage referred to in the report of Colonel Currey
as magnifying and distorting objects reflected in its at-
mosphere).
On the divide between the valley of Dry Lake and
Alvord Valley Lieutenant Waymire requested Captain
Miller to send a scouting party forward, as he was appre-
hensive of falling into an ambuscade. Miller took five
men and moving half a mile to the front, on seeing an
Indian on the hills to his right, sent three of them in pur-
suit, and moved on with the other two. Impatient at this,
Waymire resumed his march, but hearing the report of a
rifle in the direction Miller had taken, directed his course
accordingly. Proceeding but a short distance, he dis-
covered a body of Indians filing down a gulch on the side
of the mountain west of the narrow plain he was travers-
ing, and at once took position with his cavalry, reduced
by the absence of Casteel's scouting party to eleven men,
upon a ridge near the defile.
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 159
Reinforcements of Indians, mounted and afoot, drew
together from various directions, concealing themselves
among rocks and sagebrush, the horsemen deploying in
front to draw attention from the footmen, and the whole
showing considerable skill in the art of war. Their ob-
jective point was a tongue of rock, covered thickly with
tall sage, and projecting into the pass or plain. Just
beyond it was a canyon, easily defended, but dangerous
to enter, and this was where they had hoped to ambuscade
the troops, but being a little late found themselves in a
position where it became necessary to fight, if fight they
must, in the open.
Waymire's chance of success in battle was to demora-
lize the enemy by a dashing charge, or to gain the defile
by a flank movement. He chose the former plan, and
desired the citizen company to make a vigorous attack
on the enemy's left, while the cavalry would charge him
in front, to be supported as soon as possible by the citi-
zens. Miller's men being scattered in squads of two to
five over several miles of plain, Way mire dismounted
his men, deploying them as skirmishers to cover the
horses while waiting for these squads to come up. Tak-
ing advantage of the delay, the Indians opened fire with
rifles, most of their bullets falling short. Seeing that
they were becoming bolder, and expecting to be attacked,
Waymire advanced to within easy range and delivered a
few well directed volleys, emptying several saddles and
unmasking the footmen, who kept up a ceaseless firing
with no effect, their balls flying overhead. The fighting
was varied by the Indian horsemen making a dash in-
tended to cut off the cavalry horses, a movement which
was met by a change of position and continued firing,
until both sides fell into their original situations.
After half or three quarters of an hour spent in this
manner, seeing that a party of citizens twenty-five strong
160 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
were gathered on the plain, Way mire sent Lieutenant
Bernon to solicit their aid, who returned in haste with
the information that the citizens refused to join him. On
receiving this news, the Indian force all the time increas-
ing, Waymire withdrew to the plain, mounting his men
and forming a line diagonal to the canyon, when the
volunteers rallied and fought for a short time. The
small force of cavalry was now on the defensive, and it
retreated firing, the Indians endeavoring to surround it
on the plain, whose broken surface, familiar to them,
gave them great advantage. Three quarters of a mile to
the east was a large hill, which, could it be gained,
offered comparative safety, and of this the Indian horse-
men were endeavoring to secure possession. On each
side of the summit was a bench, one of which was occu-
pied by six citizen volunteers, including their surgeon
and a wounded man.
Waymire sent Corporal Meyer with five men to occupy
the summit of this hill, and a brisk race followed, in
which the corporal won, having the shorter arm of a tri-
angle, and the command was soon in this defensible
position and able to repulse a much larger force. After
resting for an hour, and considering the chances of escape,
with several of the men on foot, their horses failing from
fatigue or wounds, retreat to camp twenty miles distant
was determined upon. The route lay across Dry Lake,
and was effected in good order, although the Indians fol-
lowed, at one, time passing with a body of horsemen in
an attempt to get to the front. A desultory firing was
kept up, "in which several of the volunteers rendered
very efficient service with their, rifles.'
On reaching camp which with the entire pack train
was left in charge of twenty men, it was found to be
secure, to the satisfaction and surprise of the troops.
"That it was so," remarks Waymire, "I can only attrib-
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 161
lite to the want of a sagacious leader among the Indians.'
The day, from three o'clock in the morning to late at
night when the last footmen were in, had been spent in
this first engagement of the cavalry with fierce and
predatory Indians of the southern border, who for several
years after occupied the regular army under its most
noted Indian fighters with their subjugation.
Waymire's report of this days operations was, "the
discovery of the nature and strength of the enemy and
the whereabouts of his home, which information I trust
will be of material benefit hereafter, in connection with
operations to be carried on in that region. Our loss was
very light. One of the citizens was wounded in the
breast, but not seriously. Some of the horses were
wounded, one of the cavalry horses severely. Several
of the horses belonging to the citizen volunteers gave out
and were left behind. As the enemy held his ground it
was impossible to ascertain his loss. Many of the Indian
warriors, and several of their horses, were seen to fall
either killed or seriously wounded. Nothing has been
seen of Sergeant Casteel's party since their departure.'
The morning following, Waymire, with a party of
fourteen men on foot went in search of Casteel, following
the trail made by them to the supposed fire, which proved
to be steam from some hot springs, and back to the pass
between the two valleys, where it ended. Nothing could
be found of them or their remains. Another day was
spent in camp hoping for their appearance, but imagina-
tion only pictured the fate of this little detachment.
Being upon half rations, and expecting pursuit, the
command broke camp on the night of the ninth with the
bells on the leading pack mules silenced, and the march
to Harney Valley was begun in darkness. Meeting no
opposition, by forced marches the volunteer and cavalry
companies reached Canyon City on the fifteenth, where
162 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
they were thanked by the citizens, who if they had not
recovered their property, realized the peril and privation
suffered in the attempt to restore it. Way mire says of
his command: "They were at all times self-possessed,
and as prompt in the execution of commands as when on
ordinary dril] ;' and adds : "as a matter of justice to
myself and command, I feel it my duty, though a painful
one, to state that our defeat on the seventh was due in
i
great part to the want of a proper organization under an
efficient commander on the part of the citizen volunteers.
Although it is hardly possible that the stolen animals
could have been recovered with our jaded horses, yet I
feel confident that from the position I first occupied, with
thirty cavalry instead of eleven, the Indians could have
been routed and severely punished.'
In this opinion Adjutant General Reed, in his report
to Governor Gibbs, appears to concur. He says of Way-
mire's services : "His encounter with the Snake Indians
near Harney Lake, is undoubtedly the hardest fought
battle in which bur troops participated, and evinces a
courage and coolness on the part of the lieutenant and
his brave followers worthy of note ; and should any
future occasion call him into the battlefield, I have no
doubt, judging from the past, that he would rank high
as a military leader. The report of Capt. H. E. Small
of Company G, First Oregon Volunteer Cavalry, is also
worthy of a permanent record, and we have sufficient
evidence from every quarter to demonstrate to us that
had Oregon volunteers been permitted to cope with an
enemy worthy of their steel, they would have ranked
with the bravest of our country's brave.'
It was not my intention, nor is there space to pursue
this subject beyond the limits of the first three years of
service. But year after year Indian troubles increased,
as the savages grew strong on horse meat, rich on
THE FIRST OREGON CAVALRY. 163
thievery, intelligent by imitation, and powerful by accre-
tion of allies from beyond the border. This increase of
strength, notwithstanding Indian superintendents and
posts on Indian reservations, was a continual occasion
of remark, the favorite explanation being the bad treat-
ment of Indians by volunteers — state troops and emer-
gency organizations — accounted for it. But the facts will
show that until the regular army listened to advice from
those who had acquired their knowledge by experience,
they made no headway in securing peace. Then the long
marches and hardships, with occasional fighting of the
First Oregon Cavalry, were found to have revealed the
things important to be known before Indian wars could
be brought to an end.
A history of the wars of Eastern Oregon from 1862 to
1868 would embrace that of the First Oregon Infantry,
the permanent establishment of Forts Lapwai, Klamath,
Boise, and Lyons ; the reports of many exploring expedi-
tions, among which one by Maj. C. S. Drew is of par-
ticular interest, together with many incidents worthy of
remembrance.* It would also embrace a list of casual-
ties and losses of appalling length, the memory of which
is rapidly fading, as has faded the story of the whole con-
tinent from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
*I avail myself of this opportunity to suggest to the readers of the Quarterly,
that already it is almost, if not quite impossible, to find the printed reports of
officers connected with these expeditions, and other historical matter of date
forty or forty-five years past. The state library does not contain them, the city
and private libraries have been searched in vain, and the conclusion follows that
the people have not, and the state officers have not, properly comprehended the
value of such "documents," which should, if any still exist, be preserved by
binding and placing where they can be found by students of history.
Among the most valuable of documentary matter is the report of Adjt. Gen.
Cyrus A. Reed, 1865-0, which is not preserved in the state library, nor can I learn
that any effort has been made to secure it since my earnest inquiry for it some
time ago. The only copy I can hear of is one in General Reed's hands, which he
generously loaned me for reference in this article. Yet this volume contains in-
formation about every man who served in the volunteer regiments from 1862 to
1866, a period of great interest to the people of Oregon.
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
The following reminiscences of Horace Holden, of
Salem, Oregon, in regard to his adventures in the Pacific
Ocean, among the cannibals of Polynesia, are of great
interest and also possess great value.
For one thing they are told by a man now in his
ninety-first year, and relate to a period about seventy
years past. Again they illustrate how Oregon became
the beneficiary of almost all the early enterprises in the
Pacific Ocean, either one way or another, and gained her
citizens from the most adventurous and enterprising of
all classes of men, both by land and sea. Still further,
they are an account hardly equalled in history of wild
adventure, furnishing a good model, in fact, for the ro-
mancer upon which to base thrilling narrative. It is
indeed doubtful whether Verne, or Stevenson, or Hag-
gard would dare to invent such a chain of incident,
reaching so often the boundaries of improbability, and
passing so often the usual limits of human endurance.
In this view it is seen that writers of fiction do probably
owe the most of their creations to men who have per-
formed in fact the deeds that they arrange in striking
form. Ethnologically, 'also, such accounts furnish pic-
tures, and record the habits and feelings of islanders as
yet almost wholly unaffected by the white man's civiliza-
tion ; and draw a comparison between the mental or
moral qualities of the civilized and uncivilized man.
As to verifying these stories, there is, of course, no
means at hand ; yet Mr. Holden gives them as simply a
detail of sober fact, every incident of which actually
REMINISCENCES. 165
occurred ; and much more that is not introduced. All
who know Mr. Holden — and he has been well known in
Oregon for many years — will testify to the simple, plain
honesty, and the unusual intelligence of the man. Among
his friends and acquaintance there is no question of the
conscientious accuracy of his statements. Also, many
years ago, upon his arrival in America from his thrall-
dom in the Ladrones, he published an account of his
adventures, which appeared in book form, and which
was everywhere accepted as unadorned fact. It was,
however, comparatively brief, and written, moreover, in
the somewhat, precise style of the time, omitting much
of the most startling occurrences. Besides this, if the
skeptical were so minded, they would find the body of
Mr. Holden tattooed in South Sea Island art — an opera-
tion no white man would voluntarily submit to, and
which those islanders would not perform except for some
extraordinary reason, upon a white man. This fact in
itself gives a presumption of adventures as extraordinary
even as Mr. Holden narrates.
ADVENTURES OF HORACE HOLDEN ON THE WHALER.
Mr. Holden was a New Hampshire boy, though of
English stock ; having been born at Hillsboro, in the
Granite State, a little over ninety years ago. While still
a boy he went to Boston, where he lived until he was
eighteen years old. He was a rather delicate youth, and
formed the idea that a sea voyage would be beneficial to
his health. Going to New Bedford, the main port of the
whaling fleet, then the pride and wealth of New England,
he shipped on the old vessel Mentor, Captain Barnard.
This was a ship that had seen service in the Pacific al-
ready, having made two cruises as far as Nootka Sound,
on Vancouver's Island.
166 HORACE HOLDEN.
The first course of the ship was to the Antarctic in
search of whale. The hunt in these waters proved dis-
appointing, and it became necessary to seek port, in order
to recruit ship. They had drifted toward the Azores, and
here making harbor, took on supplies of water and other
necessary provisions, and deposited what little oil had
been secured to be shipped to market, and started off on
a new cruise. Mr. Holden recalls with great interest
the Portuguese people that he saw here, and the natural
scenery, over which Mount Pico-pico loomed up. It was
a long drift now, bringing the Mentor at length into the
Indian Ocean, and through the Mozambique Channel ;
and at length into Banda Sea and the shores of Timor,
a big Island, where they stopped to recruit ship in the
harbor Kupang.
Sailing proved quite difficult in these latitudes, the
wind being uncertain and often fitful, and the currents
among the various straits and islands often opposing. In
making the Straits of Malone [Om bay Pass?] , they were
often set back, and finally gave up the attempt ; but just
at this moment were struck with favoring breezes and
borne through into the Banda Sea, crossing which, were
forwarded on the main ocean, and then took their course
toward the Ladrones. This is a chain of tropical islands,
being like Hawaiian group, of volcanic origin ; or more
exactly, being a submerged mountain chain, with the
mere points and crests of the elevation piercing the sur-
face of the almost universal sea, and thus offering specks
or juts of land, around which the corals of the Pacific have
been gradually built. The coral makers usually build
some distance off shore, according to the depth of the
water, and form reefs ; and between the reefs and the
island itself is a stretch, wider or narrower, according
to circumstances, of enclosed water, forming a lagoon.
There are passages, often rocky and dangerous, from
REMINISCENCES. 167
the main sea into the lagoons ; but except for these the
islands are surrounded with the reefs, and upon these a
ship fortuitously reaching an island would be all but sure
to be cast. The reefs reach but a few feet above the level
of the sea, and over them, in storms, the ocean water is
often dashed.
It is necessary to bear in mind these island forma-
tions, with their reefs and lagoons, in order to understand
the incidents related by Mr. Holden.
.
SHIPWRECK ON A TROPICAL ISLAND.
The Mentor, having reached the open ocean, was
headed first toward the Island Tusnat, with the intention
of here recruiting and sailing thence to the Northern
Pacific Ocean for whale, but being moved from her course
by the wind was directed toward the Ladrones. The
weather had been calm, — too much so for the speed of
the ship, — but about noon of a certain day, soon after
heading towards the Ladrones, there came a change.
The wind began to blow, and it soon became evident
that an East Indian typhoon was approaching. Captain
Barnard, a careful seaman, at once ordered the sails
shortened, but the speed of the vessel seemed little di-
minished, as the wind was constantly increasing in vio-
lence, and the rain also poured in torrents. At length
sails were all lowered, and as the topmasts now offered
sufficient surface to catch the hurricane they were also,
though not without difficulty, let down, and along with
the yards lashed to the vessel's sides. A simple stay-
sail was set in order to steady the ship and afford the
use of the helm, if this were possible.
Night came on, with the storm still increasing, and
thus the typhoon continued three days and three nights,
neither sun, moon, or stars being visible, and no obser-
168 HORACE HOLDEN.
vations being possible, and the ship at the mercy of the
wind.
Just at twelve o'clock of the third night, as the deck
watch was turning in and the lower watch coming up to
take their place, the vessel struck. The waves were roll-
ing high and were coming with the speed of the storm,
so that one barely receded before another struck, and the
ship was evidently on the reef of an island. The night
was intensely dark, and though the wind itself was
moderating, the situation was sufficiently perilous.
Mr. Holden dwells with great detail upon the circum-
stances of the wreck which followed, having thought
them over so many times and arranged them in succes-
sion. At the third wave the ship, which had been lifted
up and dropped down on the reef, w.as so far driven
ashore as to stick fast at the bow, and was then almost
instantly swung around broadside to the sea and moved
on her beam ends onto the shore, and then every comber
lifted her up, and she was let down with a smash.
Holden 's berth was aft, and as soon as the trouble began
he turned out, and got as quickly as possible into his
breeches, and rushed on deck. He found all excitement,
and the ship so far canted over as to make movement
difficult. At the quarter deck, however, the first mate
and ten men were lowering a boat, under the fear that
the ship would soon break up, and that they must as
quickly as possible get clear, hoping, probably, also to
reach the calmer water of the lagoon, which must be
just over the reef. This wras ill-advised, however, as the
boat and men had hardly cleared away and dropped into
the darkness before the boat was capsized and nothing
ever again seen of them.
In the mean time, in order to lighten the ship and
lessen the danger of its keeling entirely over, the masts
were ordered cut away, and when the weather lanyards
REMINISCENCES. 169
were chopped off and a few strokes made at the masts,
these fell to leeward. The ship had now been boosted
over the divide of the reef, but its further progress was
stayed by masts falling over and acting as stays.
One man was crushed as the first boat was lowered,
and the fate of the others was surmised ; but the captain
still fearing the wreck would soon go to pieces, called for
his boat, intending to launch her with the eleven men
remaining. But Holden believed this was the most dan-
gerous course. It had ever been a motto with him,
"Don't give up the ship," and he considered the wreck
would still be the safest place ; he decided therefore to
hold on to the last plank. Noticing his attitude, some
of the boys said, "Are you going in the boat?" and he
answered "No.' "Then we will not,' they replied.
Three, however, were found ready to try it with the cap-
tain, but it proved only a hazardous failure.
As the ship was lying on her beam ends it was with
great difficulty that the boat was gotten ready, and at
every wave a sea of water fell over the decks that threat-
ened to wash anyone without a strong handhold over-
board. Holden went into the captain's cabin for the
sextant and log book, etc., and found the task very diffi-
cult, but succeeded in obtaining them. It was a fearful
place inside the ship. Then the captain and the three
men were ready to be committed to the sea. At what
seemed an opportune moment the order came, "lower
away," and the boat dropped ; but the lull was but just
before a violent sea that caught the boat, and with one
stroke dashed it against the ship's bottom, shattering it
to fragments. The men were tossed into the water, but
one of them seized the gripe of a loose lanyard, and
swinging around by the stern of the vessel reached the
lee side, and there crawled aboard. The captain had
tied himself, before getting into a boat, by a, towline
170 HORACE HOLDEN.
around the waist, and as he was thrown into the waves
the boys aboard saw the line spin out through the scup-
per hole. They made an effort to snub this in, but not
until all but the last reel or so had been paid out did
they succeed. Then it slacked, and they towed the "old
man" aboard.
All that now remained was to wait upon the wreck
until morning, though passing the longest night he ever
remembers, says Holden. At daybreak the hulk was
still intact, and an old whale boat was gotten out on the
deck, and after considerable work made ready for
launching. At a distance of about two miles and a
half, over the misty lagoon, there appeared something
whitish, which imagination led them to think might be
the mate's boat, with the oars. Towards this, after
launching their old boat and filling with what provisions
they could carry, they pulled away. But they found the
object not a boat, but a little sand beach, on a very low
island. Their situation was certainly far worse for the
effort of the mate and captain to leave the wreck, as in
many and many an instance of the kind has proved.
With the two boats intact, and a full crew their situation
would not have been hopeless. As it was they were
comparatively helpless ; for they were in the very midst
of the islanders that are the fear of all castaway sailors ;
men of the same habits as the Fijis and some of the
African tribes, in whom the taste of human flesh has de-
stroyed all sentiment of humanity. However, the eleven
men in the old whale boat had nothing to do but wait on
the little sand beach until the sea should calm down,
when they might return to the wreck and see what they
might do to patch up a boat or raft that would take them
to some place of refuge. In the distance they could see
Ahkee Angle [Kaj angle?] , of the Pelew group of islands.
REMINISCENCES. 171
/
Their latitude was about seven degrees north of the
equator.
However, they had not been undiscovered, and on
the third day, just about daybreak, were visited by a
canoe, with several natives. At a safe distance the little
craft stopped. The wrecked sailors, knowing that any
sign of hostility would be only more dangerous to them-
selves, now beckoned them to come on, which they
cautiously did until within a short distance, and in
shallow water, when the canoe stopped, two men, fore
and aft, held the craft in position, and the rest leaped in
the water and came ashore. Their object, however, was
not to offer relief to the shipwrecked men, and of these
they took little notice, but raced about wildly, almost
like animals, searching for any wreckage or provisions
that might be found. In this they were disappointed,
as all the sailor's provisions had been cached. Then they
began to cry to each "Moribite uhle" — go to the ship.
Their object was simply wreckage, and no doubt these
American sailors of the Mentor were not the first unfor-
tunates that had enriched, by their misfortunes, this
piratical race.
The natives made no attempt to molest them ; but
had hardly begun their cry to go to the ship, before one
of the sailors cried out: ''Look yonder, look yonder;'
and raising their eyes they saw now appearing the entire
lagoon covered with a fleet of native canoes. They at
once saw that these people meant no good, and ran their
boat out into deep water and tried to be in readiness for
defense. But in a few moments they were surrounded
by canoes of all sizes, which were occupied by a full
body of natives, mostly naked, and brandishing the cruel
native spears, which are long handled and bearing at
the end a hardwood point, with three sharp barbs run-
5
172 HORACE HOLDEN.
ning back a foot or so on the shank. Babylon seemed
also to have broken loose, the natives yelling and jabber-
ing in the most hideous manner. Nevertheless, there
was no offer of violence as yet, and in a few minutes the
whole fleet started away for the wreck, which they un-
doubtedly soon broke up for the spikes and iron.
The sailors were left alone except for one canoe which
•
hung by. This was a large war canoe and held about
twenty men, who stood up and held spears and battle
axes and tomahawks. It was evidently that of a chief.
TO THE ISLAND OF THE CANNIBALS.
The chief, however, did not seem unfriendly, and
when, by motions and words partly understood, he indi-
cated that they were to follow, there seemed no other
course open. It must be understood that in escaping
from the wreck, it had been impossible to take their fire-
arms, and it was to some extent in hope of obtaining
these that they had started onto the water ; but being sur-
rounded by the fleet of native canoes, had been entirely
unable to pursue their object. Any resistance would
therefore be useless, and bring down the immediate vio-
lence of savages whose appearance indicated a low order
of intelligence and little humanitv.
• v
There was a light wind, and as they moved along
over the waters of the lagoon, the canoe of the natives
hoisted their lateen sail, and then coming nearer, the
chief called out to let him have the painter of the boat.
But to do this the sailors felt reluctant, and refused.
Then he sailed his craft about the boat a few times, show-
ing its speed and ability to sail into the wind ; then again
demanded the painter, and the canoe now came along-
side, made fast, and the chief, with utmost unconcern,
sprang from his canoe, into the boat, and began a per-
REMINISCENCES. 173
sonal inspection of all on board. He showed much curi-
osity in regard to a box of biscuit, wishing to break it
open and examine the contents. He wished also to open
and examine a bundle of clothes. This he was not al-
lowed to do, and in consequence began to show signs of
dissatisfaction. Still the canoe went on, towing them
after by the painter, until almost out of sight of shore.
Then came the cry "Morio ahani" — drop the sail, which
was done quickly, and the canoe dropped alongside, the
chief sprang back ; and the whole party of savages raised
their bamboo poles and began most viciously attacking
the sailors, striking all within reach.
The sailors in the boat had but four oars, and these
proved to be unsound ; for as they began shoving away
to get clear, one was snapped off, leaving the boat but
poorly supplied. The order was also given to cut the
painter ; but this was a matter of no little difficulty, and
the sailor who had it to do was under a rain of blows
from the bamboo sticks, which were only so frequent as
to interrupt each other. However, it was done, and the
boat then shoved off, gaining some space between itself
and the canoe. But the natives were no sooner out of
reach of striking with their sticks than they began fling-
ing hand billets of wood, striking and hurting some of
the sailors. Then, as the distance widened, they began
hurling their spears, all of which, however, at first fell
short. One, however, nearly struck the captain, who
saved himself from an ugly wound only by suddenly
heeling over, as he sat in the stern sheets.
The object now was to get clear at all events, if the
savages made any attempt to pursue further. That such
was their intention, only too soon became clear, as they
raised the sail and prepared to renew their attack. It
was impossible, especially now that there was but three
oars left, to outspeed them ; and only some sort of skill
174 HORACE HOLDEN.
would suffice. The captain tried first steering directly
into the wind ; and this for a little while put the savages
to a disadvantage ; but their sail was able to bring them
in two points of the wind's eye, and it was clear to the
writer that in no great time they would be overhauled.
Then some strategy must be resorted to ; and the bundle
of shirts was opened. One by one the articles were taken
out and thrown upon the water ; and the device had the
desired effect. The canoe stopped to pick up the articles,
one after another, and was thus constantly thrown out
of her course. When in time the contents of the bundle
were exhausted, and still the canoe pursued, the shirts
were stripped from the backs of the sailors, and the sops
still thrown to Cerberus; and so long was the pursuit,
that the island was all but lost sight of.
At length the day was almost spent, the sun only
about an hour high, and as it would soon be dark, the
pursuit was given over, and our sailors, well nigh ex-
hausted, and in much worse condition than ever, with
their old boat and brittle oars, were left to meet the night
This seemed hardly a human part of the world, where
man and nature were both unfriendly.
BOGLE THORPE.
The twilight was very short, as always in the tropics —
"at one stride comes the dark ;' and all night they kept
watch, looking for any sign of land that might appear.
For unfriendly as had been their reception on the reef,
the sea, to men in their situation, meant only death by
starvation or famishing of thirst. At about 3 o'clock in
the morning they were roused by one of the men crying
"land ahead," and the response of the officer "where
away?' A dark object just appeared on the horizon,
under the stars, and the distance could not be easily
REMINISCENCES. 175
reckoned. Soon, however, they discovered themselves in
rapidly shoaling water, and the rugged form of a reef
began to appear. It was with difficulty that at day-
light they passed an entrance that they found, and at
length gained the calmer waters of the lagoon. It was
yet twenty miles to the land itself.
For this, as the sun rose and mounted, they pulled
away, and at length reached a nice little beach of a fine
sandy shore, and upon this, above the level of the water,
grew abundant groves of tropical trees, the largest and
most grateful of which was the breadfruit tree. This
produces fruit nine months of the year, and to the cast-
aways, who had had nothing but sea biscuit for three
days, here was spread a rich feast. There were also
cocoanuts and a species of tropical fruit much resem-
bling cherries. To add to their comfort was also found
a spring of fine water, such as they had not had on the
reef. Near the spring they found a large crab, such as
frequents the shores in the tropical regions.
But they were not to be long left alone in this cove
on the shore — in the groves of breadfruit and cocoanuts.
Soon a native canoe came in sight, and at a distance of
about two hundred yards stopped. It was occupied by
a few boys and men, who stood up at a safe distance and
held up a fish in sign of friendliness, and the sailors of
Holden's party responded at once by holding up the crab
which they had just caught. The natives then came
toward them, seeming very friendly and shaking hands.
They then went to the boat, but found nothing there.
In order to meet this friendly manifestation Holden took
his hat off and made a present of this to the boy, who
replied, "Mario English ; sabiete Pelew" — "Hello Eng-
lishman ; come to Pelew.'
The canoe then put out into the lagoon, leading the
way, and the sailors in the boat considered that there
176 HORACE HOLDEN.
was nothing better than to follow, being in no condition
to resist and not wishing to rouse the hostility of the
savages. After some time on the lagoon they reached
the mouth of a bayou from the interior of the island,
towards which the canoe led the way, and they felt the
intimation that they would be taken to the portion of the
country seldom seen by strangers. A loud blast of warn-
ing was then blown by one in the canoe upon a conch,
an alarm that white men were coming, and in almost an
instant the waters became alive with manv native canoes,
•i
putting into the lagoon from the bayou and every wind-
ing of the shore. But as flight would now be useless
they pulled directly into the fleet, and were soon con-
fronted by an immense war canoe about fifty feet long
and holding about thirty-two men armed with spears,
battleaxes, etc.
With the actions and intention of this canoe Holden
and his party naturally felt much concern, and were not
a little solicitous as it bore down upon them with all
paddles in action and the craft itself cutting the light
waves of the now narrowing arm of the lagoon. Sud-
denly, as it came exactly abreast, and in truth made
a somewhat imposing appearance with its armed and
bronze-bodied occupants, the paddles were reversed, it
came to an instant stand, and all the paddlers but two
stood up. By the two it was held in its position as firmly
as if tied, and the chief then rose and sprang into the
stern sheets of the whaleboat. His manner betokened
no kindness, and with the utmost indifference he looked
around at the sailors, evidently estimating the plunder
to be had. He then began stamping as he stood in the
stern sheets, and the twenty-nine unoccupied natives be-
gan with him the looting of all that appeared. He first
snatched at the shirt of the captain, which the latter
gave up without resistance. The other white men were
KEMINISCENCES. 177
i
then stripped of their shirts, and with tomahawks and
axes the savages began to break the boat, their object
being to secure the iron of the nails, rivets, etc. The
comfort or rights, or even lives of the sailors cast upon
their shore seemed to be regarded not the least, though
they were admitted, stripped and humiliated as they
were, into the big canoe.
TO THE INTERIOR OF THE ISLAND.
i
It was some relief to know that they were not to be
killed at once, though there was little indication of their
final fate. They could simply follow the course taken
by their savage captors. The canoe was immediately
run into a bayou, and after proceeding a short distance
stuck fast in the mud. The sailors were at onqp ordered
by signs to jump into the water and proceed by foot.
Holden was a swift runner, and finding the bottom of
the bayou firm ran briskly up the nearly dry water
course. Bending over on both sides were many sorts of
tropical trees and under any other circumstances the
scene would have been of striking delightf ulness .
In about a quarter of a mile the bayou ended, and
among the trees was disclosed a considerable opening.
Here, in fact, was one of the principal villages of the
island of Pelew. There was first encountered a broad
wall, about five feet high, built of selected stones. From
the surface of this, which was about the level of the land,
appeared quite an extensive space, like a park, terminat-
ing at a distance in a natural bluff of about twelve feet
face. Upon the flat was built the town. What most
attracted the eyes of the white captives was, near the
center of the area, a platform about twelve feet square,
and two feet high, made of flat stones. This was the
place, of public consultation, and near were seen two
178 HORACE HOLDEN.
large council houses. Most gruesome of all was a block
of wood closely resembling a butcher's block. This was
set at one side of the platform and was recognized at
once as the facility of executions.
As the captives were brought near the platform they
saw that, naked and miserable as they were, they were
the center of attraction. Crowds of natives appeared and
gathered on the bluffs. They were armed with battle
axes and spears, and were dressed mainly in tattooes.
Then the chief and his advisers came to the platform
and began counseling what to do, their sentiments being
understood by the sailors only from the tones of their
voices, which were loud and rough. In the mean time
the crowds of the people pressed and thronged about the
white men, examining them with utmost curiosity. That
these were not absolutely without human feelings was
even then shown, by at least one woman. She worked
her way toward the captives, and finally paused near
Holden, with tears streaming down her face, and having
no other way of expressing sympathy began stroking his
arm ; then, probably intending to gain the ear of the
counselors, cried out "Chlora cabool ; arrakath English.'
Her exclamation seems to have been heard, as one of
the men on the platform came to the edge, and address-
ing the captives asked "Kow English ; or kow American
English?' The American sailors quickly answered
"American English.' By this information, matters
seemed to be brought to an immediate change. The
question was now discussed, as nearly as could be under-
stood, whether they should at once cut off the heads of
the captives, or send for instructions to the sorceress of
the island to learn the will of the spiritual powers. The
latter course prevailed and a young man was selected
who should run as rapidly as possible.
While he was gone the first indication of any hospi-
REMINISCENCES. 179
tality on the part of the savages was now shown. A
young man was sent to prepare a dish of sweetened
water, and soon returned, bringing the drink. He came
down over the bluff and carried a large calabash, about
the size of a half bushel measure on his head, and bring-
ing it to the platform was helped by a chief to set down
his load. A cocoanut dipper was then produced, and
the chief took with it the first draught, then offered it
to the sailors, who drank all around. The syrup made
by the natives was from the sap of cocoanut trees, and
of an agreeable flavor.
The messenger soon returned from Aiburel, the chief
village, where the sorceress of the island, an old woman,
held her sacred place. He brought word that the men
must be brought to her in order that she might see them.
The order was at once obeyed. The head chief, or king,
rose and all his subordinates followed, taking the way up
the bluff. The captured sailors went immediately after
them, and the crowd followed irregularly behind.
AIBUREL AND THE OLD WITCH.
After passing up the low bluff and gaining the general
level of the island, they saw a paved footpath, or narrow
road, about three feet wide, well laid with flat stones.
This they followed about three miles. Under more hope-
ful circumstances this would have been a most delightful
walk. On both sides there were shade trees, forming an
arching canopy overhead.
As they approached the town another public place
with a platform appeared, and near by were council
houses. The residence from which the woman who was
to decide their fate came out reminded Holden strongly
of a building in Boston — Simpson's old feather store,
near Faneuil Hall. The platform to which they were led
180 HORACE HOLDEN.
was about a foot high. It was shaded by such tropical
trees as the betel, the nut of which was chewed, mixed
with chenan [chinar?] leaf and lime, discoloring the
teeth and mouth almost black, — and the chenan [chinar?]
and cocoanut.
The woman of the island showed much curiosity as
she looked at the men, and they were also rather struck
by her appearance. Her finger nails had been allowed
to grow to full length, some two or three inches. She
was dressed in aprons, such as were made of the frayed
kuriman leaf, the fibers being braided at the belt and
falling in thick strings, much resembling a horse's mane,
to the knees.
After satisfying her curiosity she returned to her
house, and soon a young man appeared, coming out with
the head of a hog, well roasted, and a calabash of water,
which he set down on the platform. The meat looked
extremely appetizing, but the sailors hardly knew what
was expected, when one of them attracted the attention
of the rest by exclaiming, "Look yonder;' then a very
unexpected sight met their eyes.
THE LITTLE OLD MAN.
This was nothing less than a little old man hastening,
as fast as his short and now rather shriveled legs could
carry him, toward the platform. He waddled along with
a paddling motion like a duck. He was no more than
five feet tall, tatooed, and his mouth was black from betel
nut. He wore a breechcloth and carried a little basket,
in which were shells, small pieces of bright stones, and
trinkets, probably representing considerable value in
island wealth.
The others yielded him right of way, and he came as
near as possible to the platform, regarding the castaway
REMINISCENCES. 181
sailors with the utmost concern and astonishment ; but
his was not so great as theirs, for the sailors at once saw
that he was a white man — a shriveled, dried up little
Englishman. He was trembling so much with excite-
ment that he could hardly speak, but after a little, com-
manding his voice, he said : "My God, you are English-
men, are you not?'
"Yes,' they answered.
"You are safe now," he continued. "I have some
authority; I am the sixth chief. I mistrusted that some-
thing was wrong,' he continued, "for I found a 'Bow-
ditch's Navigation' on the shore, and have been looking
to find who might have been wrecked. You are safe
now/ he said, "but it is a wonder," and this he kept
repeating.
The cause of his surprise was not so astonishing, as
he afterwards told them that about six months before
this an English ship had cruised off their coast, and had
wantonly shot some of the natives. Thus the white man
here, as in too many cases of barbarian savagery, seems
to have been the first aggressor.
This singular little man, who now appeared so oppor-
tunely, and who called himself Charles Washington (per-
haps an assumed name), had escaped many years before
from an English man-of-war on a cruise in the East
Indies, his offense having been sleeping on watch, and
during his sleep losing his musket ; an islander having
taken it and slipped overboard down the anchor chain ;
and Charlie, upon waking soon and finding the loss, also
slid overboard, fearing a very severe punishment. He
soon identified himself with the Pelews, being tatooed
and marrying a native woman.
After these preliminary words of inquiry, he said,
"Boys, that food is for you," and needing no further in-
vitation the eleven men fell to with a will.
182 HORACE HOLDEN.
TWELVE MONTHS ON PELEW.
The situation of the stranded American sailors now
became very tolerable. The tedium of the days was en-
livened by frequent conversations with Charley Wash-
ington, the little old Englishman, and through him with
the natives, and in learning the language and customs
of these South Sea islanders.
As day after day passed, however, with monotonous
regularity and no sail of a white man's ship appeared,
the Americans began to think of the advisability of
attempting a voyage by boat to some other less remote
point in the seas. Finally mentioning this to the natives,
they were encouraged, and the king of the island declared
that he himself and his people would build a suitable
ship for the purpose. He said that some time past there
was a white man's ship lost among the Koracoas, inhab-
itants of a neighboring archipelago, and that these people
had built a ship by which the mariners returned home.
If the Koracoas could do this for Captain Wilson and his
crew — that being the name of the former shipwrecked
captain, — why could not the Pelews do the same for
Captain Barnard?
Without any particular faith in this scheme, and
knowing that the king's suggestion was mere conceit,
the Americans, however, accepted the proffer, and readily
agreed to procure for him payment for his proposed ser-
vices,— which was no less than two hundred rifles if he
would deliver them safely to an American or European
vessel.
The command then went forth to the chiefs to bring
timbers and prepare for making a ship. This was quickly
obeyed, and all sorts and descriptions of timber were
brought together with childish eagerness. The royal
command was then given to put these together and con-
REMINISCENCES. 183
struct the craft. But of the ill matched and miscellaneous
materials, and with their entire ignorance of shipbuild-
ing, nothing whatever could be made. The king then
sent word to the sailors to come themselves and make the
ship ; but without proper tools, and with the timbers on
hand, even the white men could do nothing, or make
any sort of seaworthy craft. They worked, therefore,
only long enough to make a good demonstration of the
of the futility of the attempt, and then stopped.
By this the natives were much disappointed, and be-
came moody and uncommunicative, while the sailors
resumed their occupation of scanning the horizon from
day to day in hopes of sighting a sail. When, however,
it became apparent to the islanders that the ship could
not be constructed out of timbers, they proposed to make
a very large canoe in their own way, out of the biggest
tree on all the island of Pelew, and thus deliver the sea-
bound Americans and get the ransom of rifles. This was
more encouraging and the sailors readily agreed. The
king appointed a day of feasting, and then gave the
command to fell a great breadfruit tree that had been
growing from almost immemorial times, and overhung
the cliff that sloped to the lagoon. This was at length
felled, but unluckily, and greatly to the disappointment
of the natives, the huge trunk, which was about nine
feet in diameter, and probably unsound, was split into
several pieces as it pitched ov"er the bluff. Following
this new disappointment the natives again sulked, and
the sailors had no other hope but in watching the horizon.
Months passed by. The king, however, was still
captivated with the idea of getting rifles in return for his
white refugees, and at length said that in the interior of
the island there was another tree nearly as large as the
big one, and probably sounder. Should they make a
canoe out of this for the Americans? This was at once
184 HORACE HOLDEN.
agreed upon, and after another feast — whose object no
doubt was to get the people together, — workmen attacked
the tree, and it was felled without accident. It was
shaped and in part hollowed out on the ground, and then
moved to the seashore. This latter was a great task, and
required no little engineering skill. The trunk of the
tree was eight feet or more thick, and the uncompleted
boat correspondingly large. Long poles were brought
and bound to the hulk, and upon these an immense force
of natives were placed, lifting together, and the burden
was carried by mere muscular strength.
All now worked eagerly, the sailors themselves mak-
ing sails out of the mats that had been woven by the
women for the first attempted craft. A considerable
supply of poi was also in readiness, prepared by the
women from taro, for the voyage. Three of the Pelews
were selected to accompany the sailors, and to bring back
the guns.
OFF FROM PELEW.
Just a year had been passed upon this strange island
when all was ready to start off, and to commit their
course once more to the sea, trusting to bring up some-
where nearer rescue. Three men, however, had to be
left as hostage, in order, as the king and his advisers
reasoned, to insure the fulfillment of their contract on
the part of the whites. This, and indeed all the acts of
these islanders, indicated quite a large intelligence and
shrewdness, or cunning ; and showed that the savage is
not so much the inferior of the civilized man in native
intelligence as in humanity. Individually, all savages
show themselves very fair equals of the civilized — in
some respects their superiors. It is socially that they
indicate deficiency.
The day that the Americans believed that they were
REMINISCENCES. 185
off, a new delay occurred. The Pelews declared that
they must wait until nightfall. "The Karacoa people,'
they said, "will come out and capture us ; we shall be
taken for King George men.' It would in fact have been
best if the attempt had not been made, as the three sail-
ors left as hostages reached America precisely the same
time as Holden and his one surviving comrade. How-
ever, the future could not be foreseen, and even a forlorn
hope of rescue seemed preferable to an indefinite stop on
the island of Pelew. As night fell, as it always falls sud-
denly in the tropics, all was made ready for the depar-
ture. The provisions were placed on board; two green
bamboo joints of water were allowed for drink, each hold-
ing two to three gallons of water, or more, being about
as large as stovepipes and about two feet long. All was
ready, and the eleven Americans and three Pelews lifted
the anchors and made a start. Besides the canoe, in
which there were seven, the sailors still had the old whale
boat, which had been repaired, and four, among whom
was Holden, occupied this. As the tide was low, the
crafts were drawn down the bayou and out over the flats
into deep water of the lagoon. They then began a circui-
tous movement, intending to find the opening of the reef
on the outer side of the lagoon, out of which to drop off
into the main ocean. But the men in the boat were soon
startled by the cry from a native in the canoe "We are
filling with water !' Coming along side they found this
was even so, and Holden said "We shall go back.' The
boat was also leaking considerably.
The natives objected strongly, believing that once on
the sea they could manage to drift, as water had very
little terror for them . Their minds were so much made
up for the guns and ammunition promised that they over-
looked such little impediments as a sinking boat. How-
ever, Holden insisted that they must return and repair
186 HORACE HOLDEN.
the crafts ; and this was done, all arriving safely on the
island early in the morning. The natives, however, were
very much chagrined and sullen for a number of days.
But, plucking up courage and hope, went to work, and got
some of the gum of the breadfruit, which made a pitch
somewhat resembling maple wax, and with this filled the
seams injudiciously made in hollowing out the canoe.
The boat was also patched up as well as possible ; and a
second attempt was made. The sailors said ''we shall
choose our time for starting," and named the morning
as best. To this the natives made little objection, and
the start was made in much the same order as before.
i
ON THE WAVES AGAIN.
They were accompanied down the bayou and across
the flat and far out upon the lagoon by probably every
soul on the island, the native canoes swarming precisely
as they had done twelve months before when the ship-
wrecked sailors were brought to the interior. Finally the
farewrell was taken, the exit was. made from the lagoon,
and the two crafts, the canoe and the boat, dropped off
upon the deep sea. The day was nearly spent as they
began their course upon the unknown ocean, and the sun
was but an hour high. The sailors began to realize upon
what a hazardous venture they had embarked, and dis-
covered how frail and unseaworthy was their canoe . They
had no chart or compass, and their venture was evidently
fearfully perilous. They were in the region of unknown
islands, and might soon drift into that portion of the
South Sea known as "The Desert," from the infrequency
of the ships visiting it. Moreover, the canoe, made with-
out skill, went like a sawlog, bobbing up and down on
the sea swells. "Never mind,' ' however, they said, "w^e
have started.' Just about as soon as the sun dipped
REMINISCENCES. 187
there rose squalls of wind and rain, which to the sailors
just from the sheltered island seemed icy cold. The
main care was to keep off the reef, and thus they wor-
ried along until morning. Night at last passed without
accident, though their progress was very slow. The
second day was passed on the sea, all land being out of
sight. Just at sunset again, as the day before, there
came up squalls of wind and rain. At length the rudder
of the canoe was carried away, and there .was nothing
but to drift and keep as nearly upright as possible until
morning. At early daylight, as the weather moderated,
they succeeded in making the rudder fast again, and re-
sumed their voyage to anywhere or nowhere.
They so continued until the fifth day, having con-
siderable confidence in sailors' luck, and keeping a sharp
lookout for an island or for a sail. On the evening of
that day, however, affairs took a turn for the worse.
Just after sunset the wind rose again as on the first
nights, only more fiercely, with heavy black clouds suc-
ceeding. A gust, reminding them of the corner of a
typhoon, struck the sail of the canoe, careening and
nearly capsizing the clumsy craft. Hardly had it re-
covered from the first before it was struck by a second
that bent the mast until the sail dipped in the water,
upon w^hich the canoe was overset and rolled on its beam.
It immediately filled, and was now but a log on the
waves. It had to be abandoned then and there, and the
entire company crowded into the old whaleboat to the
imminent risk of its also swamping. It was no little
task to take off the sailors from the rolling hulk, but all
were rescued safely, the Pelews taking care of themselves
and swimming like water rats to the boat. One, how-
ever, clung to the canoe all night trying to get pro-
visions, and succeeded in securing four cocoanuts. All
6
188 HORACE HOLDEN.
the rest of the food was lost. At daylight they took him
aboard the boat, and finally abandoned the foundered
craft. Then they took to the oars, pulling away steadily
hour after hour, and as it proved for day after day, hav-
ing no object except to keep going, and where they had
no idea. The weather became calm and the sea glassy.
The sun shone twelve hours out of the twenty-four and
passed so nearly overhead as to cast little shadow at noon,
but filled the. whole sky with heat and made the horizon
all around, never broken either by notch of land or speck
of sail, palpitate and waver like the atmosphere of an
oven. It dropped precisely the same at night, and almost
instantly the sky was full of brilliant stars, only they
pointed to no known land.
This continued ten days, making this entire journey
on the water sixteen days long. During the last part of
this time, as might be supposed, there was great suffer-
ing from hunger and thirst. The four cocoanuts were
all the food for ten days, and although they were saving
of the water in the bamboo joints, this became thick as
frogs' spawn, and sour and unfit to use. It had curdled
and rotted in the juice of the wood. Some of the sailors
drank saltwater, but these suffered most. Their lips
swelled and cracked and turned dark. Holden wetted
his mouth and face frequently, but though the tempta-
tion was great, resolutely abstained from the sea water.
He greatly mitigated his thirst by keeping a button in
his mouth, bv which a flow of saliva was maintained.
' V
Indeed, he says that life may be prolonged almost indefi-
nitely by thus using a button or coin, and the sense of
thirst be mostly overcome without drink of any kind.
The men gradually gave up effort. Toward night of
the sixteenth day they had all lain down and were yield-
ing themselves to their fate. "They lay down in the
boat side by side, like fingers on your hand,' says Hoi-
REMINISCENCES. 189
den ; all but Holden. If the reader here begins to im-
agine that he is now romancing, it should be remembered
that Holden is a man of uncommon vitality. At the age
of ninety-one he shows the same tenacity of life as he
tells of himself in the South Seas over sixty years ago.
He has already "held on' thirty years longer than the
most of his generation, and is perhaps the only survivor
of that race of sailors in the South Seas.
It came on night. Holden sat in the stern sheets to
manage a little sail that he had on the mast. He was
''the only live one there.' The others were dying, or
waiting death, and only breathing, nor could be aroused
from their lethargy. "What can I do?' he thought.
"Here is the boat and all, and I can not leave them
alone ; but is it possible that I can keep awake all this
night?' But this he determined to attempt. He gath-
ered up the sheet and brought it aft, and got a steering
oar. There rose now a light wind, that increased to a
gentle and delightful breeze. He brought the sail toward
the wind free. This was the sixteenth night on the sea,
and during which he had scarcely slept. But he held
the boat to her course, and amused himself listening to
the sound of the water as the boat glided over the ripples.
The musings of this solitary man in a boat with a
company who might all be but corpses, on a tropical sea,
and not knowing where he was going, could not be but
strange, and Mr. Holden is either as good a romancer as
the Lakeside bard, or the "Rhyme of the Ancient Mari-
ner' has been equaled by sober fact. The night seemed
the longest he had ever spent, even in the South Seas,
and it almost needed the assurance of the dawn streaking
up at last in the east that he was not himself the dying
or dead. It was a morning of extreme beauty, and sun-
rise on the tropical sea is a soul-stirring sight in clear
weather. This was doubly and tenfold more so to Holden
190 HORACE HOLDEN.
as this day must either see his deliverance, or end his
own power of endurance.
As it grew lighter Holden followed the circle of the
horizon with his gaze, hoping to descry some sign of sail
or land. At what seemed the very utmost limit of his
vision, toward the brightening dawn, he saw a black
hump on the water. Toward this he was steering, and
as he advanced, and at length the sun shot up, he dis-
tinguished trees, — the tops of cocoanut palms. He was
now certain that land was ahead, and with strange
mingled feelings he watched it emerge and grow upon
the sight until the sun was a full hour high. But, of
course, whatever his sense of relief at first in the sight
of palms and the thought of cocoanuts and fresh water,
his next feeling was only of apprehension. He was un-
doubtedly to be saved from the sea only to fall into the
hands of savages. The beauty of the scene, however, the
island not as yet made frightful to him by its inhabitants,
but rising like a fresh creation out of the ocean, was a
sight never to be forgotten.
However his apprehensions were soon to be realized.
Canoes were soon seen on the water and putting out to
meet the boat. Holden at once sung out to the boys in
the boat to awaken, but there was no stir. Four canoes
could now be distinguished, but the number of the native
occupants could not be counted. Holden continued
singing out "Get up, get up, boys! The natives are
bearing down onus!' Still he obtained no response,
and he began jumping up and down on the stern sheets
making a racket, and crying "you must, you shall get
up ! ' By his noise they were partially aroused and be-
gan looking over the rail, and at the sight of the canoes
were startled into what little life they still retained. The
savages at first kept off, but finally, concluding appar-
ently that the boat had no firearms, took a course directly
REMINISCENCES. 191
toward her. The sailors, just awakened from their leth-
argy, and Holden single handed and unarmed, were
unable to make any resistance to what was evidently a
hostile intention. Holden simply prepared to jump when
the canoe struck, as she did in a few moments. It came
at a dashing speed, and the sailors that did not jump
into the water were knocked down helplessly and
pitilessly.
The four chiefs sprang at once into the boat, and be-
gan knocking it to pieces, and made no account of the
sailors. Their first concern was to secure for themselves
as much as possible of the iron in the boat.
As Holden says they were "naked brutes," and of
copper colored skins. Their absolute insensibility to the
perishing sailors should be understood, however, as
rather an intellectual limitation. They had not yet
learned that the life of a man not of their tribe was of
any value, and had learned that possession of iron was
increase of power. The iron nails and spikes, therefore,
excited all their activity, while the men were unnoticed.
Holden leaped into the water to avoid the collision,
and those of his mates who did not do so, were uncere-
moniously thrown overboard by the natives, to be out of
the way while the process of demolishing the boat went
on. When this was broken nearly to the water line, it
was decided by the chiefs to tow the bottom over to the
land, and the fleet of canoes began moving toward shore.
In the meantime, the sailors in the water had been at-
tempting to sustain themselves by taking hold of the
edges of the boat, but were pushed back into the water.
Some tried to take hold of the outriggers of canoes, but
were driven back. But when the boat was broken up, or
what was left was taken in tow, the sailors were allowed
to take refuge in the canoes. But this seems rather to
have been for the purpose of plunder than humanity.
192 HORACE HOLDEN.
Holden was immediately taken up into a canoe, but
what rags he wore were at once taken from him. This
was a great cruelty, as the sun, in latitude three north,
was boiling down now upon his shoulders, and without
the protection of his shirt, soon began blistering. He
was separated from his mates, and did not see what treat-
ment they received, but afterwards learned that it was
the same.
He was then given a paddle, and the order came
"Saveth, saveth ! Take the paddle and help us pull to the
shore, to Tobey.' Such he understood was the name
of the island. Holden, however, said "No," and shook
his head ; being in fact too worn and exhausted to dread
any consequences, and almost incapable of exertion . The
native who thus commanded him now went to the bow
of the canoe, and placing upon a bit of cocoanut shell a
piece of poi about the size of a walnut, said "Eat.' Hol-
den opened his mouth and took the poi from the man's
fingers, according to native custom. As is well known, poi
is the staple food of the South Sea islanders, and is made
from taro, a plant of the lily family, somewhat resembling
turnip ; and the poi is of a mushy consistency, and is
easily rolled up on the finger in a wad or ball, and is
taken in the mouth without touching the finger. Holden
then held the paddle, but did not row much.
ISLAND OP TOBEY.
This island, with its strange and fierce people, was
destined to be the home of Holden for nearly two years,
and here he underwent almost incredible sufferings, both
of the body and the mind.
The canoes were directed toward the shore and entered
the lagoon through the opening of the reef, and directly
reached the landing. The tide was low, and upon reach-
REMINISCENCES. 193
ing the rocky edge that was exposed, Holden was lifted
by the natives and boosted onto the beach above. This,
on the lower portion, was covered with coarse gravel,
being particles from off the coral reef, and in all degrees
of comminution, but mostly particles coarse and sharp, or
ragged. In walking up this coral shingle to the finer
sands next the palm trees, his feet, which were bare,
suffered intensely, being pierced and well nigh burned
by the hot gravels. Once upon the smoother sands, and
under the trees, he suffered little less. All the women
of the island appeared and performed wild antics, cutting
all the curlicues known to savages in praise of the exploit
of their husbands in capturing specimens of the white
race. Under the cocoanut trees, where he went, he was
quickly surrounded by a group of boys, to whom he
was an object of intense curiosity. They "oh'edri and
"ah'ed'!l and "ooh'ed," and repeated excitedly "putchi-
butchi mari" — white man, white man — and shoved him
in every direction and scanned him from all sides, in
their eagerness. But this usage was of small torment
compared to the pain they inflicted upon his blistered
shoulders, each one insisting upon sampling him with
the fingers, and one seizing or grabbing him away from
another.
At last the miserable day passed, and night came on.
The question then arose, what to do with the prisoner.
Word was returned from some authority to place him
in the Penniaris house — God's house — the house corre-
sponding to our church. This was a mere hatch, with
a roof laid on poles resting upon a plate about ten feet
above the ground, set on posts. The two sides were
open, but the ends, which were bowed somewhat outward
so as to form a semicircle, were closed with thatch, and
into one of these ends he was placed. The floor was the
ground, but this was merely the sharp coral gravel, which
194 HORACE HOLDEN.
cut cruelly into his already lacerated skin. It was like
the cinders of a blacksmith's forge, and upon waking in
the morning, he was sore and stiff almost beyond endur-
ance.
This was his entrance upon Tobey, a lonely island
seven hundred miles from Pelew. It was a new terri-
tory, a new world ; not so much in its natural aspects as
in the character of the inhabitants . They were apparently
without many of the human feelings, and without usual
means of influence or control.
A BRITISH SHIP.
Holden was fed a small allowance of poi, and the
curiosity of the natives gradually wore off. He was be-
ginning to regain his strength, and a certain hopefulness
of mind. However, he saw nothing of his mates, who,
however, were treated in much the same way, being dis-
posed singly in different places on the island.
In about twenty days he was astonished and over-
joyed by the sight of an East Indian merchant ship,
appearing early in a morning within a few miles of the
shore. This was the signal for a wild rush of the natives
to reach the vessel in their canoes, in order to get a pres-
ent of iron. It was no less thrilling to the castaway
Americans, who in their nakedness and feebleness still
had no means of reaching the vessel. There was only
4
one course and that was to seize their chance to accom-
pany the canoes, and make their way thus.
This they attempted. Two, the captain, Barnard,
and one sailor, Rawlins, almost literally fought their way
thither, taking a place in a canoe and refusing to leave,
and so threatening and delaying the native boatmen that
they preferred to carry them on rather than risk the
chance of missing the ship and any little scrap of iron
REMINISCENCES. 195
that they might secure. But the other sailors, being less
forward, were driven back, or dashed into the water.
Holden made a wild rush to a canoe just putting off
and started with it, but was thrown out. However, he
seized the side of the craft and although his fingers were
heavily belabored, still clung until the canoe put back.
But the moment it was off he again caught onto the out-
rigger and was towed along. Maddened by his perti-
nacity the natives again returned and casting him on the
shore dealt him a blow upon the head that rendered him
helpless and nearly senseless. When he came to, the
ship was gone, and he and the eight others were left in
"that horrible place.'
It seemed incredible, and something stunning to his
mind, that an English ship could have left him and his
fellow sailors, after learning, as must have been the case
from the captain, that wrhite men were there. He would
not have believed that Barnard and Rawlins reached the
vessel had it not been that his mates saw them climb up
the companion way and over on to the deck. The name
of the captain of that ship should be remembered, as a
man of a brutality equal to that of any of the natives,
and one from whom the natives perhaps learned some-
thing of the hardness shown the sailors. It was Sommes,
and when finally rescued, Holden was told the pitiful
excuse that he offered for his act.
It was for some time impossible for Holden and his
mates to believe that they had been left, and the nine
Americans waited, expecting that a boat would return
for them ; but they only saw the great ship stand off and
finally disappear not to come back, or to send any word
or help. The natives were much dissatisfied and grum-
bled at great length at what they considered the niggardly
treatment of the British ship, from which they were
given but the hoops of an old barrel knocked down on
196 HORACE HOLDEN.
the spot for them. They were thus taught the small
value of a sailor's life, and encouraged to treat castaways
with contempt and cruelty. Holden and his companions
feared that their ugly temper would find vent in the tor-
ture or death of themselves, but did not meddle to
attempt any explanation.
.
A CHANGE.
However there now came a change. This was for
the worse. The sailors were divided off to masters and
set to work. But at the same time instead of more food
to keep up their strength, less was given them ; it was
barely enough to sustain life. Holden 's work was assist-
ing his master pull a boat in fishing at night, and in
working the taro patches. This latter was very labor-
ious, especially making new pits. The taro is grown in
soft muddy ground, which must be prepared by digging
pits out of the rock, and then filling the cavity with
earth, and leading in water. The rock is broken up with
hardened wooden pikes, from the already partly decom-
posed coral rocks, and then the pieces must be lifted and
thrown or carried outside. Under a broiling sun, and in
pits sunk six feet deep, such work is heavy, even with
the best of food. But on the low and insufficient diet
allowed him, it was slow'death.
' u
He worked away, however, stolidly if not patiently,
feeling a certain hardening and listlessness as his life
was reduced and the probability of escape or rescue
seemed passing away. The sight of a ship" no [longer
meant rescue, as even if another hove in sight, it^was by
no means certain that he could induce the natives to let
him reach it, or that the ship itself would be brought
within hail.
One day, however, he met with a menace of death
REMINISCENCES. 197
that brought some little sympathy from the natives. He
was working as usual in the taro patch, but in an old pit.
He was half knee deep in the mud, and with his hands
as a spade was seizing the mud and casting it behind
him. It was about ten in the morning, the sun now
shining well down over the tops of the cocoanut trees.
Suddenly he went out of life, dropping as if dead, and
all consciousness snuffed out, quickly as a candle might
be extingushed. Upon coming to again, which was a
gradual return, he found himself lying on the bank next
the pit, and the sun was not over an hour high. He had
been unconscious about seven hours. He heard voices
near ; it was the natives talking about him, repeating
"Samoriat Temit" Temit is dead, perhaps as a sort of
rite. They were greatly astonished and showed consid-
erable pleasure when he began to stir. "Temit '; was the
name given him, the significance of which, however,
Mr. Holden does not know. When he rose they brought
him what they thought he needed to eat and drink.
This was procured from the cocoanut palm near by.
A boy was sent up the tree, and a large cocoanut was
selected and thrown to the ground. This was properly
ripe, not bursting as those but two thirds ripe are wont
to do. The husk was quickly removed and the one free
eye — two of the three eyes are "blind," and it is from
the free or open eye that the milk is drawn and the shoot
springs — was opened and he was told to drink. He took
a portion and returned it to his master, who, however,
gave it back, and he then drank all. The shell was then
broken and the soft, delicious meat — such as is never
seen in the shriveled meats that we see — was given him,
and he ate the whole of it. He was, in fact, dying of
hunger, having been allowed nothing the morning he
went to work or the night before.
He had now became the property of a leading man of
198 HORACE HOLDEN.
the island, and the family to whom he belonged seemed
to have some actual feeling for him, but worked him un-
mercifully, and except on that occasion did not give him
sufficient food.
Time wore on amid hunger and thirst and hard work,
and still no permission to see the other men. He suffered
constantly for fresh water, there being little or none on
the island, the natives quenching their thirst with eating
the succulent taro, or poi, and drinking cocoanut milk.
Holden, not having enough of these, learned to eat cer-
tain leaves, which furnished juice and stimulated saliva.
He was threatened with death from flux, and looking
among the leaves wondered if some of them might not
relieve him, and found that they did.
To show his misery from insufficiency of food, he tells
of eating raw fish on the sly. He was required one morn-
ing to follow his master to a special fishing place where
a species solely for the use of the women was taken.
These were to be for his master's wife, who was spending
certain time at the tahboo house of the women. The
master went ahead and, dipping his net, brought up one
fish — a small sort, but a finger or so in length. This,
however, was given Holden to carry ; and presently an-
other was taken, which was also given him. The tempta-
tion to eat was irresistible, and with one or two swallows
it was gone. A number of others were taken and the
theft — if it might be so called — was not discovered. Be-
sides that fish he tasted no animal food on the island,
except a bite of turtle. This was given him by a priest.
But one turtle was caught while he was on the island,
and this was the perquisite of the priests. While they
were eating he could not restrain his hunger, and sat
down, like any other beggar, on his haunches, and beg-
ged for a morsel. For a long time the priest gave him
no notice, but at last deigned to cast him a fragment from
REMINISCENCES. 199
the entrails. This he accepted only too eagerly. The
priest in refusing him at first would throw back his hair
and scratch his head and say "It's tahboo" — himself
only being able to take off the tahboo, which he finally
did, after gormandizing his fill.
As to the cause of this stinginess of food, Mr. Holden
says that to a small community like those on Tobey, the
coming of eleven men, who had already been nearly
starved, made quite a draught, and they were themselves
nearly always more or less short of victuals. Tropical
abundance was not realized under their manner of culti-
vation. Abundance of food, like the most of blessings, is
a product of civilization. They also seemed to have many
strange superstitions, and the priests, who managed the
tahboo mysteries, required their living from the people.
A PERIOD OF HORRORS.
It was perhaps owing to the scarcity of some articles
of food, or some superstitious awakening among the peo-
ple, that a rising of a part of the people against the white
men began. It led to acts that can not be recalled with-
out a shudder, to think that even savages should perpe-
trate such deliberate cruelty, or that white men should
suffer it. Mr. Holden 's account only occasions the sur-
mise how many sailors have perished, as the most of his
comrades did, in the South Seas, but with the hope that
that phase of trade and commerce in the world has passed
away.
On a certain day, along before noon, the family of his
master, of which he was now considered one, were all to-
gether in the house, when suddenly there was heard a
fearful yelling from some distance down the shore. The
master raised a whoop and started out of the house, fol-
lowed at once bv the wife and four children. Holden did
200 HORACE HOLDEN.
not move; but in a short time he began to feel that some
tragedy was occurring. His mind fell into a horrid state,
and he felt his flesh creeping and hair crawling as he
listened to the continued yelling and turmoil. His anx-
iety now became so intense he could remain no longer,
and he walked out upon the sand beach and looked down
the shore. Not a soul appeared in sight. He went for-
ward a few rods, but being weak from the sickness re-
ferred to above sat down in the sand at a point where the
waves of the rising tide bubbled up and still watched
down the shore. Then all at once two men, at some dis-
tance, made their appearance from the shrubbery of the
island, moving rapidly onto the beach and bending for-
ward. In another instant it was seen that they were
carrying some sort of an object, and in the next that this
was a man. It was evident that this was one of his
shipmates, and that the proceedings were his massacre.
Holden watched a moment longer, until a third man
appeared, having a boulder in his hand with which he
began crushing the head of the victim, who was then
hurried to the water's edge by the bearers. But sud-
denly, while Holden was stealing off, a shower of blows
from clubs was rained upon his own head. A party of
the murderers had crept up upon him while he was
watching with horror the fate of his mate, and thus un-
expectedly began an attempt upon his own life.
Holden at first fell partially stunned and lay with his
arms over his head in order to shield himself from the
blows, and attempted to rise, but was unable. How-
ever, recovering himself somewhat, he sat up. The
natives, who were attacking him, perhaps became a little
confused, and seizing-a favorable moment Holden sprang
to his feet, feeling a sudden acceleration of strength. He
knew now that it was neck or nothing, and with bare
hands began striking right and left, sailor fashion. By
REMINISCENCES. 201
this warlike attitude the natives were somewhat con-
fused, but raising a terrific din began striking violently,
though somewhat at random. Unable to hit his head,
but still ringing blow after blow on his arms, which soon
seemed battered to a pumice along the outer side. He
looked in every direction, but saw no friendly face, and
knowing that he must soon be worn out, changed his
tactics, and suddenly darted to one side and made a rush
for his master's hut. They followed after in a savage
rage, but only occasionally were able to reach him with
a blow upon the shoulders. Even in such a scuffle as
this the mental superiority of the white man appeared.
A murder or massacre by savages owes much of its hor-
ror to lack of purpose and method. He was, however,
now very much helped, and in fact no doubt saved, by
the appearance upon the scene of an old gray-headed
man, who stood between him and his pursuers, holding
them back.
By this diversion Holden was able to gain his mas-
ter's hut and take refuge in the loft. This was a room
above the lower apartment, with a floor but eight or nine
feet above ground, and was reached through a scuttle
hole by means of a rope that dangled down. After using
the rope, and pausing a moment to breathe and recover
himself, he forgot, or neglected to haul it up, and in a
very short time savages were below, and in another in-
stant one ferocious native was climbing after and had
already placed a hand upon the ledge to draw himself to
the floor. He was a fearful sight, gritting his teeth and
eyes glaring ; but his hold was at once unloosed by Hol-
den, who seized and twisted the fingers, and the man
with howls of rage fell back. This process was repeated
a number of times, until the rage and turmoil of the
murderers seemed to pass all bounds. Then they at-
tempted another plan. The entire upper part of a man's
202 HORACE HOLDEN.
body was thrust up the scuttle hole, being held from be-
low by a powerful native, and Holden saw that he must
soon be forced back ; but at that instant the body of the
intruder was drawn down and cast with a dull thud upon
the ground. This was done by the master, who had re-
turned, and seeing what was happening threw himself
upon the lower part of the man's body, carrying him
down and knocking over also the one that held him.
This was not the same party that attacked him at first.
Those had been held back by the old man, but the mur-
derers of the other sailor, whose name was Pete, came
up, and learning where Holden had gone, followed to
finish him also ; but by the timely appearance of his
master he was now safe. This attempt upon his life and
that of the others was not countenanced by the leading
men, and the ringleaders were seized and held by Hoi-
den's master and his friends until a promise was given
to molest Temit no more.
There were two families living in this hut, one being
that of a brother, a man of gigantic stature, nearly seven
feet tall, who, as soon as the house was rid of the mur-
derers, came to the scuttle hole and called, "Woobish,
woobish," come down and I wTill put you down on the
ground. Holden thinking that there was no way but to
trust him did as told, and let himself into the giant's
arms, who took him carefully and let him to the floor in
a very gentle manner. Holden could scarcely yet think
himself safe, and the memory of the murderer who as-
cended the rope seemed fixed on his mind for days. It
was indeed a fearful sight, the man beside himself with
passion, with glaring eyes and teeth grinding, and hav-
ing in human form all the insensibility and incapacity of
pity or reason pertaining to a wild beast.
However, his master and his party were truly friendly
to Temit, and after a long and excited discussion decided
REMINISCENCES. 203
to defend him at all costs. They inquired of one another
"What shall we do with Temit? Where will he be
safe?' Then the big man suggested that the best place
would be in their father's hut. This was one of the best
on the island, and was thatched all around. After a
supper shared with the family he was taken to the house
of the old people and shown a place of concealment and
was given a cocoanut palm mat, upon which he slept
quite comfortably. He was also supplied with taro, and
remained in the thatch for three days. Word was then
sent that he would be safe at home, and he returned.
FURTHER HORRORS.
The policy of destroying the white men was continued.
The one that Holden saw killed was Pete Anderson. His
body was taken out to the outer edge of the lagoon, and
was cast into the main ocean, as if unfit to remain on the
island. Not long after one of the Pelew chiefs was
killed. He had been accused of stealing cocoanuts, some
of these having been taken, and he was pitched upon by
the priests, who demanded that he die. These atrocities
were no doubt instigated by the priests, who had secret
reasons for opposing the influence of even chance for-
eigners, the priestly caste being the most conservative of
all, and able also to most quickly arouse the latent ferocity
in the human heart.
Another of the Pelews had already died of disease
and exposure. The Pelew that was killed was taken to
a canoe and tied, and then set adrift on the ocean. Soon
after, a sailor, Milton Hulett, a young man of twenty and
still quite strong, was also turned adrift in the same
manner, still alive. The theory of the natives seemed
to be that these foreigners came from the sea, and to the
7
204 HORACE HOLDEN.
sea must return. However, the next day a great howl-
ing and uproar was heard, the whole island being ex-
cited. This, as was soon learned, was caused by the
body of Milton being found on the shore of the lagoon,
to which it had been drifted in the night, and this brought
more fear and dread than if many live men had come.
It was awfully unlucky for a dead man to come back to
his murderers, and for a whole month the man who set
him adrift was obliged to perform rites in the Tahboo
house. This seems to indicate the superstitious origin
of these horrors.
William Seddon, another sailor, died of disease on
the shore, having become very low through privation.
One after another, however, the rest were turned adrift
alive, never to return, until but three remained. These
were one Pelew, a sailor named Knute, and Holden.
THE TATTOOING.
Mr. Holden is yet tattooed in South Sea islander fash-
ion over his entire chest and arms. This appears to be
as distinct as after it was first done, and resembles the
pattern of some sort of shirt or dress, or more probably
some native design. Without expert inquiry the sugges-
tion still arises that in the South Seas, where dress was
unnecessary for comfort, the only use that occurred to
the natives was as an ornament, or mark of distinction, —
following out, I believe, a suggestion of Carlyle's in
Sartor Resartus. For ornament or distinction tattooing
on the skin would answer the same purpose as dress.
Possibly, too, these patterns were from the dress of cast-
aways or conquerors, whose clothes were worn out, and
no new ones were to be had, and the design was preserved
on the skin.
But whatever its origin, its intent at the time Mr.
REMINISCENCES. 205
Holden was there seemed to be simply to incorporate him
into the community. This showed an increase of kindly
feeling, and prospect of better treatment ; but the process
was one of great pain. The instrument used was made
from the bones of the great Man-o'-war hawk, being
about an inch long, with teeth long enough to not only
pierce the skin, but to reach even the bones. It is quite
unlike the sailors' method, which is done with a fine
needle, and the outer skin simply raised sufficiently to
admit the ink under the cuticle. But this was on a truly
barbarous plan. The man to be tattooed was laid flat on
the ground, and the operator straddled his body, and
with the instrument laid at the proper place made the
incisions with the blow of a mallet. Often over the ribs,
as Holden was thus operated upon, the teeth were driven
into the bone and were pulled out only with some exer-
tion. Under such treatment he could only hold his
breath, waiting for the man to take a fresh supply of ink,
to suspire. The process required three whole days, and
the juices used to make the color, were so severe as to
cause the flesh to puff into large swellings. It was the
intention to tattoo his face also, but this he resisted, pre-
ferring to die, and threatening them with the vengeance
of the white man's God.
Nevertheless, amid all these troubles, he did not wholly
stagnate mentally, but took pains to learn the language,
which he still retains, and to be able to form a correct
vocabulary of their words. He still had a hope of escape,
and felt the value to commerce, or more especially of any
castaways like himself, of knowing more of these people
and teaching them in some way the value of human life.
He found that they held the white man's God in supersti-
tious regard, seeing the ships, the firearms, and the iron
given, as they supposed, to His favorites. More than
once in a desperate situation he overawed them by threat-
206 HORACE HOLDEN.
ening to call upon this powerful being for vengeance.
Moreover, he instilled, wherever possible, into their minds
that the white men would gladly make a present for his
release, and that he must be returned to them whenever
a ship appeared. This promise his master grew to rely
upon with utmost confidence.
A SENSE OF DELIVERANCE.
Two years had now passed upon the island of Tobey,
amid horrors and cruelties, but also with some growing
companionship with the natives.
A curious premonition of rescue from that prison
island at length began to take possession of him. What-
ever its source, whether from some outward or providen-
tial origin, or from his own imagination, the assurance
grew more complete, and raised his hope. As this be-
came firmer he began to think of his one mate left, the
sailor, Knute ; but of him he had now seen nothing for
some time. This was a bad sign, as, although they were
not allowed any intercourse, he had frequently seen the
lad on the beach at a distance. His own hope had become
so firm and his anxiety for Knute became so intense,
fearing that he had been murdered, that at last one after-
noon he determined to take all risks and hunt him up.
It happened that he was alone in the house, and, al-
though not knowing how soon his master might return,
he decided on the spur of the moment to go towards
Knute 's place. This he did, chosing the back trail, which
led through the brush and shrubbery, and was some dis-
tance back from the usual road along the front. He
walked rapidly, and soon came to a point where he could
look into the main path. He saw no one, but nearing the
crossways soon discovered a man, all but nude, crouching
in a hopeless attitude on the ground. He was sitting
KEMINISCENCES. 207
with his hands over his face, and his head sunk between
his knees. Surmising who it was, Holden was soon along-
side, and saw that it was in truth his shipmate. He
quickly laid his hand on the drooping shoulder, and
shook him gently, but with the intent of rousing him
from the lethargy into which he saw the man had fallen.
"Why are you here, Knute?'; he asked. "What is the
matter?' But to this inquiry there was no reply, yet a
slight movement. The man looked up, but the look was
as of death itself, hopeless and lifeless, of one soon to be
a corpse. Even with his fresh sense of hope, Holden
shuddered, but said cheerfully, "Come, come, Knute, let
me take you to the house.' "It's no use," answered his
mate, with a groan ; he cared only to die.
"You are not going to die yet," replied Holden ; "I
still have strength and you have a little. I will take
hold of you, and when I say 'ready' you must get up."
So taking hold he sung out in sailor fashion, "Ready,
heoho ; now she goes,' and sure enough had him on his
feet, and began hitching him along toward his home,
helping himself by taking hold of the bushes at the
pathside. But after a little Knute moaned, "Let me
down," and suddenly collapsed and fell like lead. Hol-
den could assist no more, but said, "Knute, you must
not give up ; keep up heart and hope, my man, just for
my sake. What shall I do if I am left entirely alone on
this savage island? Can't you bear up for me if not for
yourself? Besides, we do not know how soon we may be
rescued ; we can not tell when we may go ; it may be
to-morrow."
With these words he left his comrade and returned as
quickly as possible to his master's hut, and fortunately
found that he had been seen by no one, the hut being
still empty.
The natives seemed to have been occupied with cere-
208 HORACE HOLDEN.
monies at the tahboo house, and about nightfall the mas-
ter returned alone, having left his wife at the woman's
tahboo. However, he said, "We will sleep here," and
both prepared for the night.
We can not help but linger here a moment in thought,
considering an experience like this and the pathos of a
hope without a reasonable or demonstrable foundation
springing up in such a situation. The question also
arises, will the results of the civilization brought to these
seas and islands seem at last to recompense the losses
and sufferings that lads like Holden and Knute and their
more unfortunate mates, or the many unknown sailors of
the Pacific, had to endure?
"SAWA, SAWA," A SHIP.
Next morning, just about daylight, he was aroused
by the sound of loud voices singing out from the tops of
the cocoanut trees, where the natives had gone early to
gather toddy, "Sawa, sawa.' His master heard the cry,
and roused instantly and jumped up. Holden did not
move, lying in a singular repose, feeling that his premo-
nition was to be realized, and yet having no urging of
his own effort. In a few minutes his master came back
all excitement and hurried him down to the beach . ' ' Look
yonder,' he said, "and see whether there is a ship.'
Holden scanned the horizon, but saw nothing. What-
ever there was was below the horizon. He replied that
he saw nothing yet, but told his master to climb a tree
and he might discover it.
The natives readily climb the long shafts of the cocoa-
nut trees by means of a hoop, into which they place their
feet, on the side opposite their body, and hold themselves
while taking a new hold with the arms. The master,
whose name was Parabaway, was soon into his hoop, and
REMINISCENCES. 209
had ascended about thirty or forty feet when he stopped
and sang out, "Sawa, sawa" — yes, it is a ship. He then
came down speedily and laid his hand on Holden's shoul-
der and said, "Temit, I will set you on that ship.' "You
know my promise," Holden replied, "to the man who first
places me on a white man's ship.'
Parabaway was a man of activity, and one to redeem
in some measure the character of his people. He there-
fore at once called to his men, who brought the sea canoe
to the beach, carrying it across the bayou, and bringing
the paddles and also Temit.
THE STRUGGLE TO THE SHIP.
The canoe was shoved into the water and the crew of
paddlers took their places. Holden was duly placed
aboard and took a position at the bow, ready to descry
the first appearance of the ship, which lay becalmed, but
below the horizon from their situation on the water. He
constantly urged the men to paddle, crying "Vettell" —
pull until you reach the ship. The canoe went boldly
out over the deep ocean, riding the low swell, until after
a time Holden caught sight of a white speck, — the gleam
of a sail, — seeing which the men took heart and paddled
away with a will, the ship rapidly growing on the sight,
and Holden at last believing fully in his deliverance, and
of his comrade, Knute's. The master, Parabaway, and
his men were also indulging in lively anticipations of the
treasure of iron to be given them. The ship was now
within but a mile, and soon would be within hailing
distance.
But suddenly, without warning, there came a white
pun7 of smoke, and a six-pound cannon ball whistled over
the heads of the canoemen and their passenger. This
was something which Holden had not calculated upon,
210 HORACE HOLDEN.
and turned the ship, which but a moment before seemed
the sign of salvation, into an object of new peril. Of
course the natives were terrified and squatted in the
canoe as another and still another cannon ball screamed
over them in quick succession. Then they headed away,
fully believing that the ship intended to destroy them.
Holden immediately began tasking them to head to the
ship, himself almost reckless of consequences, but not
believing that any ship of any nation would fire upon a
helpless canoe with intention of killing. They cried out
with terror, however, and replied, "If we go to the ship
we shall be killed.' Holden determined that they must
proceed and commanded them to pull. "Which way?'
they again inquired. "To the ship; you shall not go
home.'
Finally he succeeded in calming them, and began
singing out to the ship in a voice which he thought must
carry across the water. On his positive promise that
they should not be killed they resumed paddling, headed
for the vessel. But not over five or six strokes had been
taken before "biff' once more, and directly with the
boom came a charge of copper ore, striking the water no
great distance in front of the canoe, and splashing Hol-
den himself, who stood in the prow. At this of course
the natives broke into new terror, and what small head
of courage that Holden had gained for them was now
lost. All must be done over. They were about to re-
treat with all speed, but he checked them with all the
intimidations of the white man's God. They would pro-
ceed no further, but by the greatest exertion of will and
persuasion he prevented their return. While thus urg-
ing and struggling a flag was run up on the mizzen, —
the English Jack, — the most beautiful of all signs just
then, unless it had been the stars and stripes. English-
men could surely be made to understand the situation.
REMINISCENCES. 211
A boat was now seen lowered from the ship, and,
under a good stroke from the crew supplied from the ves-
sel, came gliding over the water toward Holden's canoe.
This boat came within about fifty yards, in full view,
then stopped, the sailors resting on their oars. Not a
word was spoken, but after a few moment's inspection,
the oars were dropped again into the water and the stroke
resumed, but the boat was headed back to the ship. Hoi-
den then cried out in his loudest tones, telling them who
he was, and what he was wanting, but the boat pulled
back to the vessel.
By such treatment as this, he was almost thrown into
frenzy, and continued calling ; and then commanded the
natives to pull away to the vessel after the boat, but was
met with a volley of small arms, at which the natives, of
course, stopped rowing again. Holden had only to wait
and see what would be done by the British vessel. After
returning to the ship, the detail in the boat reported that
they thought they heard English words spoken, and asked
for further orders ; and permission was then given by the
captain, one Short, to return, but well armed. As soon
as within hailing distance again, the officer of the boat
standing in the stern sheets called to Holden, and said,
"Swim here.'
We can not but be astonished that when, within speak-
ing distance, and easily able to ascertain who Holden
was, and the disposition of the natives, that any such
order should be given. But the captain and his crew
were acting under very careful instructions, and following
the English axiom, took everybody for an enemy or crim-
inal until proved otherwise. Without waiting for further
urging and, indeed, almost before the order was out of
the officer's mouth, Holden sprang into the water and
swam for his life toward the boat ; leaping like a flash,
and swimming under the water. In the meantime the
•
212 HORACE HOLDEN.
boat came slowly toward him, and as he rose to breathe,
she was alongside, and two of the sailors reached over
and lifted him in. But this was scarcely done, before one
of them cried out "We have just saved him now !" and
looking into the water, all were horrified to see the body
of a man-eating shark, overlapping the boat in length,
and already turned on its side to seize the prey. Of
this peril Holden himself had not thought, as the boat's
officer had also overlooked it ; though both probably knew
that those seas were full of these carnivores of the waters.
A BRITISH CAPTAIN.
The rescuing crew now bent to the oars and laid away
to the ship, which was a three masted merchantman, and
came along broadside. The manropes hanging over were
scarcely reached before Holden laid hold of them and,
without help or invitation, scrambled to the deck. He
was at once surrounded by the sailors, to whom he was a
subject for instant solicitude. Some brought him clothes
out of their chests, into which he was speedily installed,
while one came with a spoonful of boiled rice, his lank
appearance indicating at once long want, if not starva-
tion. The first officer began to question him, and every
time he made an answer carried this back to report to
the captain, who was pacing the after deck.
This was done with so much ceremony and delibera-
tion that Holden, who was all anxiety to secure the rescue
of his mate, Knute, and to redeem his promise to his
master, Parabaway, became very impatient. But when
a little breeze now began to blow, and the order came
from the captain to brace up the yards, he could no
longer control himself. It seemed incredible that a man
should be left, or that no attention should be paid to his
representations about the natives. Setting aside red tape
REMINISCENCES. 213
and taking matters into his own hands he went aft and
met the captain as he came alongside on his walk. Ad-
dressing him by name, he said, "Captain Short, I am an
American ; I have a shipmate who is undoubtedly in one
of those canoes waiting to be taken aboard. I beg of you
to do w^hat you can for his rescue.'
The captain simply looked him over, and up and
down, without a word turned and walked back across
the deck. Holden's Yankee spirit rose, and he waited
until the captain faced his way again, and looked him
over once more and said :
"You are an American?'
"Yes."
"You say you have a shipmate yonder?'
"Yes."
"If that is the case I will do what I can for him.'
"You can do no more, sir," replied Holden, bowing.
Captain Short then called the men aft and explained
in a few words the situation of Holden's mate, and said
that those who wished to volunteer for his rescue might
do so. A boat was soon manned and lowered away.
LAST SCENE WITH THE NATIVES.
This boat was already about to leave when Holden
demanded to be allowed to accompany the rescuing party,
and to be enabled to fulfill his promise to the natives,
who had risked their lives literally at the cannon's
mouth, to carry out their part of the agreement. The
captain at first was disinclined to permit- this, but finally
consented, and ordered the cabin boy to go below and
fill a basket with iron scraps, nails, or other refuse out
of the locker, and bring it to the boat. It seemed diffi-
cult for Holden to work through his obtuse mind that
this was not a mere bit of sentiment or whim, but that
214 HORACE HOLDEN.
it was entirely worth while to teach these islanders that
ample reward would be given for shipwrecked men, in-
ducing them thus to place a high value upon human life.
The burly captain was at last made willing to hold
the ship for an hour or longer, while the ship's boat
went out with Holden to the canoes of the islanders, who
but that very morning held him as a slave, but now,
seeing him coming from the ship with a boat load of
sailors, and himself dressed in clothes that were to them
of fabulous worth, were now ready to bow down and
almost worship him.
While thus rowing out to meet them the thought
came into Holden's mind to teach them a lesson. Call-
ing to his old master, Parabaway, he selected and placed
into his hands the finest and largest pieces of iron that
he saw in the basket. Parabaway immediately began
singing or chanting his praises, declaring what a good
child Temit was ; or rather continued his laudation which
he began as Temit appeared in the boat, and adding
thanks for what this good child would give him. After
this Holden called to Knute's master, and gave him a
present nearly as good. Then he distributed to the
others, dealing to each accordingly as their treatment of
himself and his mates had been. Those to whom he gave
but a small amount of the treasure of iron soon began to
make loud complaints and beg for more. But he made
them all be quiet until the distribution was over, then
he spoke so that all could hear, and said, "I have now
treated you as you treated me and my mates. Those
that complain because I placed a small present in their
hand must remember that they placed but a small bite of
poi in my mouth when I was hungry.'
These became very much concerned and said to him,
"But we did not know that. Let Temit return with us
and stay until another ship comes this way, and we will
REMINISCENCES. 215
place much poi in his mouth.' But Holden said that he
could not return to them ; he must now go to his own
home ; but let them provide for any other sailors that
were cast away among them from the sea.
Speaking of this eventful day, Mr. Holden says that
it was the hardest of his life, requiring him to oppose,
with all his determination, those in whose power he was,
first the affrighted natives, and then a very dense and
conservative British captain, who cared much more for
the safety of his ship than for rescuing Yankee castaways
(or perhaps runaways) or in teaching moral lessons.
But the day's work, as he designed it, and thought it
ought to be accomplished, was done. He was rescued ;
his mate Knute was also saved, being found in the
second canoe, following Parabaway's, though in an
almost unconscious condition, and stowed away in the
center of the canoe in the sort of box formed by seats
and side planks. The promised treasure was given the
natives for returning him to the ship, and the lesson
taught that human life was of more value than old iron
or nails in a castaway boat. Holden bade the islanders
goodbye, who went off singing his praises, and he said
"Nang England," — I go to England.
RETURN TO AMERICA AND THE FATE OF THE OTHERS.*
The breeze was now well up and the Britannia, Cap-
tain Short's vessel, set sail and squared away for China.
After eighteen days reached Lateen, in the lower harbor
below Nankeen, and there met an American, Captain
McComber, who was anchored in the roadstead with a
receiving ship to collect cargo for other vessels. By
McComber, a Boston man, he was told Captain Sommes'
excuse for leaving the nine Americans at Tobey ; first,
that he was on short allowance, and his crew was muti-
216 HORACE HOLDEN.
nous ; and, second, that it would have detained him
twenty-four hours — one hour would have been an ample
allowance.
From the Britannia the two Americans were trans-
ferred to the Morrison, an American bark under com-
mand of Captain Lavender, of New York. The voyage
to America was made without accident, and at New
York, although Holden had no money, he was forwarded
to Boston by the aid of friends, reaching his home city
in 1835.
Here he wrote and published a narrative of his adven-
tures, two copies only, so far as known, being now ex-
tant. He felt it his duty to see that the hostages on the
island of Pelew were released, so he published a small
edition of his book in order to obtain funds to visit
Washington City and make the proper representations
there. At the capital he visited the Secretary of the
Navy, Levi Woodbury, of New Hampshire, and found
upon examining the records that two and a half years
previously the man-of-war Vincennes had been ordered,
for a part of her three years' cruise in the Pacific, to
visit Pelew, and also Tobey ; and the news was just
brought that this vessel was now at Norfolk, just re-
turned. Two of the hostages, Medor and Davis, were
brought home on the Vincennes, the other, a boy, hav-
ing escaped. The Pelew chief was also returned to his
island home from Tobey.
Mr. Holden was married in Boston, and in 1837, with
his wife and infant son returned to the Pacific, making a
home on the Hawaiian Islands, attempting the culture of
silk, but later going into sugar raising. In 1844 he de-
cided to come to Oregon, to help make this an American,
rather than a British, country. He was very loyal to the
stars and stripes, his wife being perhaps the first to make
an American flag, which, for the Fourth of July celebra-
REMINISCENCES. 217
tion in 1847, he ran up on a pole in front of his house,
and with Doctor Wilson, who came with his wife in an ox
cart, and with John Minto, J. S. Smith, and other neigh-
bors properly observed the day.
Mr. Holden's place was a few miles north of Salem,
on the Willamette bottoms, but not next to the river.
Here he raised apples, and for nearly fifty years followed
the noble art of horticulture. He has three sons —
Horace lives at Tillamook City, Eugene at Wardner,
Idaho, and Theodore in New Jersey. His daughters are,
deceased — Ellen died at Hilo, Hawaii, and Isabell at
Petaluma, California. Mr. Holden lives at Salem, near
the bank of the Willamette, and although ninety-one
years of age is of sound memory, good voice, and hear-
ing and but little impaired. He was first married in
Boston to Mary Miller, who died at Honolulu, and a
second time to Harriet J. Darling, who died at Salem in
1888, June 14.
(Corrected by Horace Holden.)
H. S. LYMAN.
VOLUME III.]
SEPTEMBER, 19O2
[NUMBER 3
THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
THE PIONEER ERA OF DOMESTIC SHEEP HUSBANDRY.
The materials of history are not yet ripe enough to give
us authentic data of the very first introduction of domes-
ticated sheep into Oregon, and will not be perhaps until
the historical gleaner is admitted to the records of the
Hudson Bay Company, the rule of which was superseded
over the valley of the Columbia River between 1840 and
1843, by the pioneer American home builders.
The earliest mention of sheep in Oregon is by John
Ball, who came with N. J. Wyeth in 1832, and who be-
came the first school-teacher by instruction of a dozen
boys, sons of officers of the Hudson Bay Company. In
the winter of 1832-33, in a letter to his parents, dated
Vancouver, February 23, 1833, Mr. Ball says: "This is
a post of the Hudson Bay Company, which extends its
trade in furs from Canada to this place. Here they have
extensive farming operations, raise wheat, corn, pease,
potatoes, * * * and have cattle, sheep and hogs.' In
a letter to the writer, Dr. W. F. Tolmie mentions that
220 JOHN MINTO.
"by the use of sheep and rape the late Daniel Harvey
was in the early 30's producing better crops of wheat
from the company's farm on Mill Plain than I now
(1880) see the American farmers getting.'
The next record of sheep in Oregon is in Bancroft's Ore-
gon, Vol. I, p. 338, quoting Wilkes for the fact of sheep
being at the Waiilatpu Mission in 1841, having been
obtained from the Hawaiian Islands. On page 346 the
same historian tells us the Nez Perces, in 1842, owned 32
neat cattle, 10 sheep and 40 hogs, and that the Cayuses
had 70 head of cattle, mostly cows, and also a few "sheep
earned by herding the flock belonging to the mission.'
This, doubtless, was the result of the Whitman mission
policy of teaching the natives spinning and weaving, and
we have good reason for believing Dr. Whitman was
very anxious to have the United States add sheep to the
medium of purchase of the native right to the soil, as one
of the best agencies of civilization. The savage massacre,
which destroyed this heroic man and all his plans, wiped
out all connection between them and the American home
builders, then confined to western Oregon, and we have
no evidence that any sheep were in western Oregon, ex-
cept at Vancouver, prior to the second cattle drive from
California in 1842-43, when Jacob P. Lease, an American
settler in California, yielding to the advice of Capt.
Joseph Gale and his associates, started his flock of 900
head in the wake of Gale's drive of 1,250 head of cattle
and 600 head of horses and mules to sell to the Oregon
settlers.
According to Hon. J. W. Nesmith, who spent the win-
ter of 1843 with Captain Gale, there were 3,000 sheep in
this drive, 2,000 of which we may reasonably believe
were for the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, formed
by officers of the Hudson Bay Company as means of
stocking the country from the Sound southward to the
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 221
north bank of the Columbia, which most of them hoped
to fall to Great Britain on the settlement of the Oregon
boundary question. Bancroft mentions 2,000 sheep be-
ing brought overland from California about this date
by the Hudson Bay Company, indefinitely, but, as we
know Dr. W. F. Tolmie was placed at Fort Nesqually
about the time of their arrival, the supposition is reason-
ably probable that Wm. Glen Rae, the officer in charge
of the Hudson Bay Company's station in California and
son-in-law of Doctor McLoughlin, bought 2,000 or more
sheep and furnished men to drive them in company with
Mr. Lease, under Captain Gale's leadership, the result of
which was to end cattle monopoly in Oregon, which the
first cattle drive in 1836-37 can hardly be said to have
done. There was good reason for this being done quietly
by the gentlemen forming the Puget Sound Agricultural
Association. That they were playing for empire was no
secret, but they did not trumpet their plans and objects.
Captain Gale's movement reached the Willamette settle-
ment in seventy-five days from California, the sheep in
the rear of the horses and cattle. The writer was in-
formed by one of the drivers that "though they had but
seven guns, they fought Indians nearly every day till
they crossed Rogue River;' that "though they lost 200
[20?] head at the crossing of Klamath River, the increase
on the way more than made up all losses and caused them
to use from 4 to 8 pack horses to carry forward young
lambs.' The sheep were as low in quality as they could
well be, light of body and bone, coarse and light of
fleece, of all colors of white, black, ring-streaked and
grizzled, having in an eminent degree the tenacity of life
common to all scrub stock, and giving their increase at
all seasons, though mostly in spring. They responded
quickly to any cross for improvement, especially toward
the Merino blood.
222 JOHN MINTO.
In 1844 the first sheep were brought across the plains
from Missouri by Joshua Shaw and son. They were for
meat on the way, should the need arise, and soon fell into
the daily movement with the loose cattle, occasioning
little trouble, but gave profit and consideration to the fam-
ily after their arrival in Oregon .
In 1847 sheep husbandry in Oregon received very im-
portant accessions. A Mr. Fields brought a flock, which,
as all-purpose sheep, have never yet been surpassed, if
equaled, in Oregon. He, however, and his wife, were
both stricken with measles as they arrived, and died
without attaining domicile. His estate was administered
upon by Daniel Waldo, who wisely sold the sheep in
small lots, and they thus became the foundation of many
flocks. A Mr. Headerick, William Turpin, and Johnson
Mulkey each brought a flock. E. Patton also brought a
large flock, settling in Yamhill County, and Mulkey in
Benton, so that this important pastoral interest spread
widely over the valley.
In 1848 Joseph Watt — who crossed the plains in 1844
and went back in 1846 — returned to Oregon with his
father's family, bringing 330 head of sheep, some of
them Saxon and some of Spanish Merino blood j1 and the
machinery of a carding mill, this latter attracting even
more attention than the sheep, which latter were now
attracting less of public notice as this year began by
calling many men to the fighting field against the In-
dians who had committed the Whitman massacre. This
was followed soon by the discovery of gold in California,
the rush to which and feverish labor and exposure there
were more destructive to life than wars w^ith the natives.
It stopped home building development for a time, put
1 The Rev. M. Fackler, an Episcopalian minister, as a means of making him-
self useful, drove the combined flocks of 1817 most of the way. Mrs, Werner
Breyman, now or Salem, drove the Watt flock in 1848.
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 223
sheep on the market at $5.00 to $6.00 per head, but soon
began to take all that was fit for mutton for driving over-
land for food for the miners and others. This very soon
took from Oregon many more and better sheep than had
originally been received from California. The writer,
who started with a small lot in 1849, sold his wethers to
go to California in 1850 at $5.00 per head, but readily
sold ewe lambs to his neighbors in 1853 at $12 per head,
and refused an offer of $15 per head for lambs by a Cal-
ifornia buyer. Production had been neglected by so
many who had been to the mines and got a little gold
that food of all kinds was for a time at almost panic
prices — wheat $6.00 per bushel at Salem ; mutton sheep
$16 per head in Portland. This affected all business and
called reflecting men back to tlie land. In 1851 Hiram
Smith brought three thoroughbred Merino rams from
Ohio, hoping to initiate a trade, but it was too early and
he turned to the importation of mules instead.
In 1854 Dr. W. F. Tolmie began to sell off the sheep
of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company, and after
disposing of all he could north of the Columbia River
brought 1,500 and sold them in Marion County. They
were of the California importation of 1842, improved by
such importations of British breeds as the doctor could
induce the company, whose agent he was, to buy. Some
good Leicesters and Southdowns and indifferent Merinos
were used with great benefit, but the sheep had been low
kept and were affected with scab, and for that reason
were a bad bargain to all purchasers, as little was known
of that disease in Oregon at that time.
In 1857 Martin Jesse, of Yamhill County, Oregon,
returning from California gold mines, heard the call for
a sheep sale from the deck of a ship at San Francisco.
He found on inquiry that the stock were thoroughbred
Merinos from the Camden Park flock of the Macarthur
224 JOHN MINTO.
Bros, of New South Wales, descended from the Kew
flock of King George III of England, which were drawn
from the Neggretti flocks of the Marchioness del Campo
di Alange, by royal grant of the King of Spain, who only
could permit exportation, for which courtesy the English
King thanked the noble lady by a present of eight splen-
did English coach horses.2 The start of Macarthur's
Australian Merinos were those drawn from the English
King's flock and imported into New South Wales in 1804
by Capt. John Macarthur, founder of the Camden Park
flock and father of the firm of brothers who sold the
sheep, herein mentioned, to J. H. Williams, United
States Consul at Sydney, N. S. W., for shipment to Cali-
fornia in March, 1857. The ship had been driven out
of her course and both food and water for the sheep
scarce. The latter had been given at last out of bottles
and the sheep saved were saved by that means. Mr.
Jesse purchased 20 head of them and transferred them
to the ship he had engaged his passage to Portland on.
Thus were brought the means of reproduction of the
golden fleece to Oregon. They could not be watered on
the ship, but by drinking out of a bottle until they were
landed on the farm of Coffin & Thompson of Dayton,
Oregon.
In 1858 R. C. Geer, of Marion County, had imported
Southdowns direct from England. In 1860 Hon. Ben-
jamin Stark, United States Senator for Oregon, sent a
fine Cotswold to Oregon, and a little later John Cogs-
well, of Lane County, imported New Oxfordshire and
Hampshire Downs. Early in this year Messrs. Jones &
Rockwell imported and sold in Western Oregon 45 head
2 The writer has verified copies of the certificates given by the Macarthur Bros,
to Consul Williams, which, together with the history of the attainment of their
progenitors, constitutes the only pedigree known to be extant tracing to a partic-
lar Spanish flock.
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 225
of thoroughbred Merinos, mostly of the Spanish type,
so improved by Vermont breeders as to justify naming
them American Merinos, which they at this time began
to do. Flocks and herds had so accumulated in 1860
and the wild grasses had so given way, that without
reserved pastures or other winter feed little beef or
mutton could be found in good condition for market in
early spring. The wool product, at first selling high,
had declined for lack of a market, there being from 1853
to 1858 only one buyer in Portland for export, whose uni-
form price was ten cents per pound. It traded among
farmers for stocking yarn and flock beds at twenty-five
cents per pound, and some house manufacture began
even before 1854 in the outside settlements. The writer
went to San Francisco in 1856 dressed entirely in clothes
of his wife's make from the fleece. Returning home in
April he found Joseph Watt of Amity well advanced
towards an organization of wool growing farmers for
building a woolen factory at Salem.
From the pen of L. E. Pratt, who gave his assistance
to securing the proper machinery and threw his personal
fortune into the project by coming from Massachusetts to
set it up, we have an excellent manuscript history of the
inception, early struggles against high rates of interest,
frontier and commercial conditions to success, change of
ownership, bad management, business wreck and mys-
terious destruction by fire of this pioneer factory. For
the writer's purpose it is sufficient to say here that it was
a wool-growers' enterprise, started by Joseph Watt, one
of the leading pioneer flock owners, joined by a few men
looking to public life in the community, and " it was in-
corporated in 1856 with Hon. Geo. H. Williams as presi-
dent; Alfred Stanton, vice president; Joseph Watt, W.
H. Rector, Joseph Holman, E. M.Barnum, L. F. Grover,
226 JOHN MINTO.
directors; Joseph G. Wilson, secretary, and John D.
Boone, treasurer.'
On Mr. Watt (who was more a carpenter than farmer)
was devolved the construction of the building and the
supervision of construction of the canal from the Santiam
River into the channel of Mill Creek, as an abundant and
constant water power, which has since been used by other
and important interests in Salem. It would be amazing,
were it not a serious beginning of so important an enter-
prise, to learn that when W. H. Rector was sent East to
order the machinery and secure a competent man to set it
up his first order was for $12, 000 worth of machinery for
which he had $2,500 and his face to pay. It was re-
ported of him at the time that in answer to the aston-
ished looks of the manufacturers, when he told them the
amount of cash he had with him, he said : "Look in my
face, gentlemen. If you can not trust me when I say
you shall have your pay, my trip is a failure.' "Uncle
Billy' ' got the machinery with the aid of his chosen man-
ager, then with him. Mr. Rector's friend and neighbor,
Daniel Waldo, a stock-raising farmer, proved the chief
financial support of the enterprise while starting, main-
taining his trust in it till being wrecked by mismanage-
ment he proved the chief loser.
The year of 1860 may be said to end the pioneer period
of the domestic stock interests of Oregon, especially of
sheep husbandry. In addition to the imported improved
sheep already mentioned, A. McKinley had retired from
the Hudson Bay Company and brought with him as a
settler in Marion County some of the latest imported
South Downs and New Leicestershires of the Puget Sound
Agricultural Company.
Visiting and examining the first Merinos brought to
Salem by Messrs. Jones and Rockwell, I turned away un-
believing on the latter's answer to my question of weight
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 227
of annual fleece yield from these sheep to me small com-
pared to the Field's stock I had been breeding for ten
years with comparative success, so I turned to history for
light, as to the value of the breed for wool production.
By this means I was broadened out much as a man and
very ready in November of the same year to entertain the
offer of Joseph Holman to sell me at cost the undivided
half of ten head .of thoroughbred Merino sheep for $512,
consisting of one French Merino ram and one ewe of the
same blood, 2 ewes of Spanish Merino type as improved
by Vermont breeders, and 6 ewes, part of the descend-
ants from the Macarthur's Australian Merinos, brought to
Oregon by Martin Jesse as herein related. Messrs. J. L.
Parrish and Joseph Holman were the first 'purchasers of
ewes from both the Martin Jesse importation of Mac-
arthur's Australian Merinos and of the Jones & Rockwell
importation from Vermont. The following are copies of
my agreement with Mr. Holman and of the certificates
which came into my possession thereby. I interbred to
American Merinos all the Australian ewes of the Holman
and Parrish purchase for two years after coming into
ownership of the certificates :
SALEM, Marion County, Oregon, Nov. 29, 1860.
Be it known to all men, that we, Joseph Holman and John Minto,
have this day become joint owners of a lot of ten head of Merino
sheep, consisting of one ram and nine ewes; and that we agree to
remain joint owners of the same until November the 29th, 1864, under
the following agreement, to wit : The sheep are to be left in the care
of said John Minto, who, on his part, agrees to take care of the same
according to his best skill and judgment, to keep a correct account of
all sales made from said sheep or their increase, and pay to said Hol-
man one half of the amount of such sales.
The said Joseph Holman on his part agrees to pay said Minto at
the rate of $10 per head per annum for keeping his half of said sheep
and their increase after they are one year old; provided, that if said
sheep shall yield more than twenty-five per cent profit, he shall pay
said Minto at the rate of $12 per head.
JOSEPH HOLMAN.
JOHN MINTO.
228 JOHN MINTO.
COPY OF A CERTIFICATE OF FINE WOOL SHEEP.
We hereby certify that the 250 thoroughbred Merino ewes, 28
thoroughbred Merino bucks, sold by us to J. H. Williams, Esq., Consul
of the United States at Sydney, for shipment to California, were bred
by us on this estate, being descendants in a direct line from the Merino
sheep imported in 1804-5 by our father, the late John Macarthur, Esq.,
and by him selected from the Royal Kew flock, obtained from the
Spanish Government by his majesty, the late King George III.
There has been no intermixture of any but undoubted Merino
blood in the Camden Park flock. We have crossed only with rams of
Merino race derived from the French Imperial flock of Rambouillet.
Neither the sheep now sold by us nor the flock from which they are
taken have ever had scab, catarrh, or any other infections.
A first-class medal was awarded to us for the wool of this flock
exhibited at Paris Industrial Exhibition of all nations in 1855, in ref-
erence to which the following passage is extracted from a letter from
Sir William Macarthur to James Macarthur, dated Paris, 12th August,
1855: "Of the samples exhibited of the wool of our thoroughbred
Merino flock, taken from about 150 fleeces of the shearing of 1853, the
jurors said in my presence that they were free from the defect often
found in Australian wool of hollowness or spongeness of fibre, and com-
bine in a remarkable degree all the most valuable qualities which dis-
tinguish German and Australian wools, preserving the true old Merino
type in the greatest beauty."
The sheep are branded in the right cheek with the letter "M,"
which runs into a " U," the mark of our thoroughbred flock ; they have
also a pitch brand on the outside of the fleece upon the weathers of " J. "
Signed: JAS. W. MACARTHUR.
Camden Park, N. S. Wales, 28th April, 1857.
To certify that we have this day sold to J. H. Williams, Esq., con-
sul at Sydney for the United States, six thoroughbred Merino rams, in
addition to the [twenty?] eight included in our certificate of the 28th
instant. The pedigree and other remarks in that certificate apply
equally to the six rams now sold, which had been reserved for our own
use, and are considered to be very choice animals.
Signed: J. W. MACARTHUR.
Camden Park, N. S. Wales, 30th April, 1857.
•
SAN FRANCISCO, 29th July, 1857.
This is to certify that the above are the true copies of the original
certificates.
J. W. MACONDREY.
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 229
DAYTON, Yamhill County, March 10th, 1860.
This is to certify that Messrs. J. L. Parrish and Joseph Holman,
of Salem, have this day bought of us (8) eight thoroughbred Merino
ewes, part and descendants of the original flock spoken of in the above
certificates.
J. G. THOMPSON and
P. M. COFFIN,
Dayton, Oregon.
COPY.
We have this day sold to Messrs. J. L. Parrish and Joseph Holman :
I860.
March 31—1 French buck, $500 $ 500 00
4 breeding ewes, $275 each 1,100 00
2 ewes, young and not in lamb 100 00
$1,700 00
Received payment in cash and notes.
J. R. JONES and
S. B. ROCKWELL.
This certifies that Messrs. Holman and Parrish of Salem, Oregon,
have this day purchased of us one French buck, "Revenue," which
was our first choice in all that lot of bucks, and also two French Merino
ewes and four American Merino ewes.
These sheep are thoroughbred and raised in Addison County, Vt.,
and imported by us direct from Vermont to this state in January and
February last.
The French Merinos are the largest fine-wooled sheep in the world.
The American capable of producing the most wool from a given area
of land. Both of these varieties are highly prized in Vermont, where
sheep breeding is carried to greater perfection than in any other part
of the world. While we readily grant that the Saxon sheep have wool
of a little finer texture, yet we claim that our French and American
Merinos shear annually more than double the quantity of the Saxons.
The wool is unsurpassed in its felting properties and makes a cloth
suited to the wants of nine tenths of the masses. A cross of the bucks
with the common sheep of Oregon will, we believe, add about two
pounds extra to the lambs and double the price of it in market.
R. J. JONES and
S. B. ROCKWELL.
230 JOHN MINTO.
THE ERA OF EXPANSION OF SHEEP HUSBANDRY FROM
THE CASCADES TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
In the autumn of 1861 Joseph Watt, R. P. Boise, and
Lucien Heath associated themselves together in the en-
terprise of sending 4,500 head of sheep into the Yakima
country, east of the Cascades. It was a world of rich
•/ '
grass, in the condition of sun-made hay. There was no
provision for winter feed. Late in December a snowfall
covered all of the Columbia Vallev. The weather set in
»/
clear and cold and gave fourteen weeks continuous sleigh-
ing at Salem in Western Oregon. East and north all
weather conditions were more severe, which made the
season the most destructive to live stock known to the
white race of men on this coast. This first sheep ven-
ture east of the Cascades was represented by 45 living
skeletons in March, 1862. It crippled Mr. Watt finan-
cially, but did not shake his faith in the upper Columbia
Valley as a grand pastoral region. Mr. Heath, who had
been very sanguine of large and certain profits, said : "I
will never own another sheep as an investment.' Cattle
and horses had been colonized from west to east of the
Cascades, and these, also, were almost a total loss, except
in the lake region of Southeastern Oregon. This longest
snow-lay had been preceded by floods in Western Oregon,
and some loss of sheep had occurred by drowning on the
Willamette bottom lands. This unusual season had no
apparent deterrent effect on the movement to Eastern
Oregon and Washington. Horses, cattle, and sheep were
taken without attempts to provide winter feed in the case
of the two former, and generally very inadequate efforts
in the latter. The ranges were wide and mixture of
flocks on them was very rare. Herding as a business
had to be learned by most Americans, and general man-
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 231
agement was also much a matter of experiment. Some
owners sent to Scotland for shepherds and their collies ;
but to them the conditions were so new and wild — at-
tempts to herd thousands in a band, where the herds-
man had been trained to hundreds ; he lived alone and
did his own cooking, not seeing his owner more than
once in two weeks, and sometimes not for the entire
summer season ; these imported herdsmen did not satisfy
themselves nor their employers. The passage of the
homestead law attracted the attention of squatters and
others in Australia, and an immigration from there of
practical sheep keepers set in, which was not entirely
stopped by Australian lawmakers trying to better the
land laws of the United States. These Australians took
hold of the range situation much more readily than the
Scotch, and some of them became, for a time at least,
fairly successful flock masters ; but were notably more
harsh to their employees than Americans, and often
themselves seemed to fall victims to the drink habit. In
the end Americans made the best success, both as herd-
ers and flock masters. Not rarely a young man starting
as herder ended as a wealthy sheep and land owning
banker. Among these were sons of Oregon pioneer fam-
ilies and frontiersmen who had never handled sheep
before. It seemed to make little difference where the
man started from, or what his previous occupation or
condition had been. The field was so inviting that men
who proved to have no vocation for it entered it. Farms
were sold or mortgaged west of the Cascade range, and
the value lost in a few years in the range country, chiefly
because of inadequate provision for winter feeding. In
no case within the writer's knowledge was there failure
where adequate winter feed was kept ready for a possible
bad season. Thus it was that, though the range was
strewn with business failures, development went on and
232 JOHN MINTO.
men succeeded where others failed. Choice sheep camps
became the sites of towns and cities, and favorite lamb-
ing grounds became rich grain farms. Dufur, Antelope,
Arlington, Condon, Fossil, Heppner, Maysville, Moro,
Adams, and many other towns are illustrations of this.
Arlington began as a public shearing corral, the wool
being taken from the bank of the river by passing steam-
boats. The means of crossing the common sheep towards
the merino was at first derived from the few pioneer
breeders in Western Oregon. The common or coarse
wooled sheep were mainly supplied from Western Ore-
gon, though some were driven in by both sides of the
Cascade range as a result of heat and drouth in Cali-
fornia in 1864, whence starving flocks were driven from
the parched plains to the mountains, and across them to
Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Idaho, and Utah. In 1866
a countermovement of stock sheep took place, and some
hundred thousand head were taken from Western Oregon
to California to restock pastures in that state. The toll
gate keeper in South Umpqua Canyon reported passage
of 80,000 head southward that season, and considerable
numbers were driven up the middle fork of the Wil-
lamette and across the lake region of Southeastern Oregon
to Pit River Valley, and thence across the Sierra Nevada
to the plains of California. During these years of the
early 60 's sheep pastures were curtailed in favor of wheat
growing in Western Oregon, and this added to the rap-
idly increasing flocks east of the Cascades in Oregon by
colonizing, whence they were spread northward, east,
and southeast, into Washington, Montana, Idaho, and
Utah, and later to the Dakotas and Wyoming as stock
sheep; and to Lincoln, Neb., and on to Chicago as mutton
sheep. Hundreds of thousands of Oregon bred sheep
have been trailed through the dryest and highest, least
settled country, between Eastern Oregon and the corn
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 233
bearing lands of Nebraska. The mutton sheep trail in
this direction kept as near as possible to the old Oregon
trail over which the first sheep were driven west in 1844,
until the close of the century, when local settlements and
locally ow^ned sheep and other stock, and especially lo-
cally owned watering places, so intervened that shipping
by railroad had become the prevailing practice as most
economical in 1892, and "trailing sheep" has fallen or is
now falling into past methods.3 Up to 1890 stock sheep
from Eastern Oregon were purchased and driven on foot
to the ranges of Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana,
and mutton sheep reached Chicago via the feeding farms
of Nebraska, Kansas, and Iowa ; but by 1892 buyers for
North and South Dakota generally preferred to ship by
rail.
The history of the occupation and development of Du-
fur and Heppner will indicate the general growth of well-
watered sheep camps to towns and cities, and centers of
wheat growing. The Dufur family, after some years con-
ducting a dairy farm near Portland, concluded to change
to sheep husbandry in the early '70s. They purchased
3 There is probably no fiercer tirade against range sheep husbandry in the
English language than that of the committee of the National Academy of Science,
asked for by Hon. Hoke Smith at the suggestion of the executive committee of
the American Forestry Association, in order to secure the counsel of this learned
body as to an administrative policy over the forest covered portion of the public
domain as secretary of the interior. Sheep were "hoofed locusts, leaving desola-
tion and ruin on the grass lands and destroying the forests," driven by "nomads
and marauders." The epithets used are the worn coin of the half insane but
charming Carlylian writer on mountains and forests, John Muir. Much bitter-
ness, doubtless, was caused by sheep trailers as they passed through; sometimes
it was in resentment for extortion for water and feed purchased. The laws of
Spain under the rule of her grandee and clergy, who were the chief owners of the
fine wooled flocks, provided by law wide roads for their migration; but this body
of highly respected men, who it may be said are our only grandees, made no sug-
gestions for the benefit of this important industrial interest. In many localities
of our State the annual movement of sheep to and from the mountain ranges
causes serious injury to the wheat farmer and homestead settler. This is at pres-
ent tending to induce our best flock owners to purchase their summer ranges as
near as possible to their winter homes, and is bringing into the public service as
lawmakers practical men like Hons. J. N. Williamson and Thomas H. Tongue,
Douglas Belts, and others.
234 JOHN MINTO.
from Joseph Beezley, a resident of The Dalles, about 1870,
a homestead sheep ranch on a small mill stream there,
called "Fifteen-Mile" (estimated that distance from The
Dalles). They moved onto this farm and starting with
a moderate flock began, by irrigation, to farm for the
winter care of their sheep. Excepting a few acres under
fence at Four-Mile and Eight-Mile, watering places, no
fences existed between The Dalles and the Dufur farm at
that date. They enlarged their crops as their flocks in-
creased, and were the first to purchase swamp lands near
the base of Mt. Hood for summer range for their flocks.4
From first a house of entertainment for settlers locating
further south, and next a blacksmith shop, gristmill,
and post office, the seeds of a rural town were planted
and rapidly grew, until the lands around and beyond from
The Dalles were occupied, first for grazing, then for
wheat growing. Within about ten years a corporate
town had grown, supported largely by stock-raising fam-
ilies, who builded for winter residence and winter school
facilities. The district now produces about 1,000,000
bushels of wheat. Heppner was planted by a young un-
married Englishman, who brought capital to buy a flock
of sheep and the small gristmill there, erected by a
Frenchman ; he took the cream of the beautiful grazing
lands near and sold out to a grain-raising compatriot from
North Britain, who made flour and mill feed his chief
4 They were also among the first to breed thoroughbred Merinos as range sheep
for improvement of their own and neighbors' flocks, taking a colony of the
writer's flock on shares about the date of Doctor Baldwin's locating at Hay Creek.
This did not interfere with my taking my surplus bred in the Willamette Valley
to districts further east and south. For twenty-five years after buyers ceased
coming to me at Salem I did a moderate but very interesting business as sheep
merchant on Lower John Day and its tributaries, Rock Creek and Thirty-Mile,
and from Heppner to Prinesville, near which I also had a colony in the hands of
Hon. J. N. Williamson, who, however, from the time he was as well known in
Crook County as I knew him as a youth at Salem, has been called to public duties
by his fellow-citizens in too many ways to make a successful sheep breeder. To
me the business was an instructive pleasure.
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 235
staples. J. Graham Hewison, of Newcastle-on-Tyne,
England, thus started with the best 3,000 ewes as a wool
growing flock money could then buy in Eastern Oregon,
and kept it to the highest standard natural conditions
would permit, and sold out at a fair profit when the press-
ure of population claimed his location for food produc-
tion. His example was good for his day, except that it
drew into the surrounding country other young British-
ers with capital sufficient to buy a flock of sheep, and
who. caring for neither citizenship nor land ownership,
flourished for a season as grazing freebooters, sometimes
impudently gleaning the grass of the American home-
stead settler up to their fences under circumstances which
justified the latter's resentment and resistance to the im-
minent danger of both the property and the persons of
these grazing scavengers. Indeed, it is safe to say that
during the years of expansion of sheep husbandry over
the portion of Oregon west of the Blue Mountains, more
lives have been taken and more property destroyed over
range feuds, provoked by a marauding spirit, than by the
racial wars with the natives; and even in the last disturb-
ance of the latter kind in Oregon, most of the lives lost
were believed to be in revenge for injuries received or
fancied, by the Cayuse Indians in strife for grass in the
Blue Mountains between the native owners of hirsels of
ponies and herders of the flocks of the white men. More
sheep herders were murdered on the pony ranges of the
Cayuse tribe, under cover of the "Piute raid," than of all
other classes of men, and no one acquainted with local
conditions believed that the murder of Mr. Jewett (him-
self a highly respected man and a leading flock master)
was entirely clear of his line of business.
In these contests the numbers and the apparent effects
of the close feeding of sheep on the pasturage have often
236 JOHN MINTO.
arrayed against them and their owners, feelings of preju-
dice not justified by ultimate results, and added bitter-
ness to these separate lines of pastoral industries until in
some localities slaughter of sheep, and even murder of
herders, occurred which could not be punished under
legal forms at the time and place of the action, because
unbiased juries could not be formed.
The writer speaks here from personal knowledge gath-
ered from the herders in their camps just as the Piute
raiders arrived near Pilot Rock. Knowing the defense-
less condition of the Rock Creek settlers at the time the
trouble with Joseph's band arose in the Wallowa coun-
try, I secured twenty stand of needle guns from Governor
Chadwick, for the Rock Creek settlement, and took charge
of six repeating rifles to forward to sons and friends of
Wm. J. Herren at Heppner, and leaving Salem on the
night of the Fourth of July, on which date General How-
ard's order appeared in The Oregonian, to the effect that
the raiders would leave the Blue Mountains and cross the
Columbia River between the mouth of the John Day and
Walla Walla. Having sons and other kinsmen in that
country, I got among the herders in the Blue Mountains
on July 8, twenty miles southeast of Heppner, near Bur-
ton's sheep camp, where Frank Maddock arrested a party
of Umatilla Indians, and was giving the aid of ammu-
nition and the comfort of my company at the very time
the soldiers were throwing shells from Pilot Rock into the
position they supposed the Indians to occupy. I reached
Heppner that day and found the citizens had a rude fort
completed and were awaiting the arrival of Thomas Ayers,
who had been sent to Umatilla Landing for arms, but he
returned that day with the report of failure, as the com-
munity had received one hundred guns when Joseph's
raid occurred. Next day at noon I met Messrs. Laiug
and Varney, heavily armed, on their way to learn the
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 237
fate of their herders and flocks on Butter Creek, from
which point nothing had been heard at Heppner for some
days.
CONFLICTS FOR RANGE.
Generally the cattle breeding interest preceded sheep
keeping on the public lands of the range portion of the
state, and opposed its extension, — first, because cattle,
being more able and more willing to defend their young
against wild animals, could be left free to range at will
among others, the chief trouble with their management
being to find the calf as soon as possible after birth and
brand it with the mark of ownership ; second, because,
while left free to find fresh pasture, cattle would not stay
on range soiled by the presence of sheep grazing ; and,
third, if they did, until the district was overstocked, the
larger animals would perish first for lack of food, so that
the invasion of sheep into a cattle range greatly increased
the labor of caring for cattle and greatly added to risk of
loss by a severe winter ; and by thus being the cause of
cattle scattering more and more over the wide range,
increased the labor while diminishing the profits of rang-
ing cattle over all of Eastern Oregon, except on the damp
lands which margin the shallow lake beds of Southeast-
ern Oregon, where the conditions of grass and water are
much more favorable for cattle than for sheep. There
were no rights in the question ; each party was gath-
ering where it had not strewn. To these, what may
be called natural causes of bitterness against the expan-
sion of sheep husbandry in Oregon in common with all
the range states, may be added the fact that the care of
horses, cattle, and sheep, acts diversely on human char-
acter. The tending to horses and cattle on the range is
done on horseback. A few hundred head of them will
scatter over hundreds of miles of country, intermixing
238 JOHN MINTO.
with the horses or herds of other owners. This brings
owners and their employees to agree, upon set times, to
co-operate in what are called "round-ups," that is, driving
all stock of the same kind to a common center agreed
upon, where each owner "cuts out' what he claims as
his, and puts his brand on the young he finds for the
first time. Of course there are large opportunities for
mistakes, and for misappropriations, and with the most
honest intentions contentions arise. The farther horses
and cattle spread over a given range the greater the oppor-
tunity for theft, and as the very occupation tends to reck-
lessness it becomes a school for crime, of which the horse
ranging interest will show the greatest proportion for the
number employed and the cattle interest the next most
numerous. It is not claimed that sheep owners and their
employees are immaculate, but the occupation of a herder
is that of a protector. It is supposed, and is generally
true, that a good shepherd has his flock within his sight
every waking hour. In truth and justice, however, it
must be said that it was cattle raisers who first acted on
the perception that the only way for any graziny interest to
peaceful, progressive success is ownership or legal control of
the land necessary to support the stock kept. Some of those
who have most conspicuously succeeded secured their
ample holdings under the swamp and overflowed land
law passed by the Oregon legislature subsequent to a
similar law enacted in California, from which the Oregon
law was copied, and it was the Glens and Frenches, who
were really citizens of California, who were among the
chief beneficiaries of the Oregon law.
The late John Devine grew very wealthy from cattle
grazing in the Harney-Lake region, but he is understood
to have been a citizen of Oregon and was a highly respected
man. From the beginning of sheep keeping in Oregon
as a range stock interest it was found well adapted to
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 239
associated capital, but beyond such associations as may
be effected by the members of one family, or a few friends
with families, such associations are not popular with the
people of Oregon, nor consistent with the pioneer pur-
pose of filling an unoccupied country with industrious
family life. The latest census reports indicate strongly
that the effect of the large land ownership titles secured
in the lake districts of Southeastern Oregon, by doubtful
methods and almost entirely used for cattle, are proving
disastrous to the counties containing them and seriously
affect the growth of the state.
The following is taken from the Rural Northwest for
August 1, 1902 :—
i
The fact that half a dozen powerful companies own nearly all the
deeded and irrigated land in Harney County, is not only most disastrous
to that county but seriously affects the growth of the state. The
census shows that the area of irrigated land in Harney County in-
creased from 26,289 in 1889, to 111,090 acres in 1899, but the number of
irrigators decreased from 240 in 1889 to 228 in 1899. Harney County
has the unfortunate distinction of being the only county in Oregon
with fewer farmers in 1900 than in 1890. It is also unfortunate in
showing that the total value of the crops of its 111,090 acres of irrigated
land in 1899 was only $232,423, or a little over $2.00 per acre. Under
ordinarily favorable conditions 40 acres of irrigated land, with out-
lying range, will support a prosperous farmer, but if there were even
a farmer to every 80 acres of irrigated land in Harney County, the
number of irrigation farmers would be six times as large as it is, and
Harney County's population would be three or four times as numerous
as at present.
Ten years ago the writer, examining the condition of
sheep husbandry for the United States Department of
Agriculture, wrote to the then representative of Harney
County to learn if public sentiment would favor the prop-
osition to sell the range lands to the people at ten cents
per acre, or just enough to pay the national government
the cost of attaining title, survey, record and issuing
patent. The answer was in the negative ; fear of the rich
240 JOHN MINTO.
land grabber and regard for the poor stockman's inter-
ests underlay the answer, but since then, increased con-
fidence in the capacity of 40 acres of irrigated alfalfa land
to produce hay sufficient to carry 3,000 head of the best
grade of Merino sheep through an ordinary winter, there
is no question but that the range portion of Oregon will
soon have three times its present enumeration of families
living in greater general comfort than was ever attain-
able when one herder took charge of 3,000 head during
five months of summer ranging, not seeing his owner or
camp supplier oftener than once in two weeks, and some-
times not once during the five months of May, June, July,
August, and September. Every 40 acres, added to pres-
ent alfalfa production, means an additional family home
in the range portion of the state, and in some districts
three or four, where, by fruit growing, 10 acres of irri-
gated ground will support a family, and an addition of
10 acres feed a family cow and a choice lot of 50 first-
class Merino breeding sheep as means of sustaining range
flocks up to the highest standard.
This last prediction may seem to some readers a chi-
mera of the brain, but the writer has his own practice in
mind in keeping a flock of first-class Merinos within his
home lot of less than 20 acres, 17 acres of which was in
orchards, and he had no such resource for securing the
best kind of feeding hay, as alfalfa land under irrigation
gives. It is, I believe, the history of successful breeding
of the first quality of domestic stock in any given line,
that the highest results are attained under one directing
mind. In 1892 the writer, in the service of the Bureau
of Animal Industry, visited the breeding farm of Mr.
Frank Bullard of Wheatland, Cal. He was and had been
for some years confessedly in the lead of breeders of Me-
rinos of Vermont type in California. His feed barn was
in a 10-acre lot, containing at the time of my visit over
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 241
60 head of young rams, the most inferior looking one in
the lot being a high-priced yearling recently received from
Vermont. The alfalfa fed Pacific Coast bred sheep, aver-
aged larger and had better fleeces than their Vermont
progenitors, because the plains of California are under a
better growing climate than that of Vermont, though that
was not perfect, because of excessive heat at times during
summer. This same season I had seen the choice ram
flock of the Baldwin Sheep and Land Company, who were
at the time drawing their means of improvement from
Mr. Bullard ; and again their stock appeared and I think
were an improvement on his. Alfalfa was the basis feed
in each case, but the Oregon bred sheep had the ideal
sheep pastures on the slopes of the Blue Mountains to run
on, and not a day in the year that was not stimulative to
growth of flesh and wool fibre.
I may appear to be writing inconsistently in claiming
superiority for this company, but the foundation was laid
by the individual, Doctor Baldwin, in 1873. In March,
1882, he had not yet succeeded with alfalfa. His health
was failing, but he had two strong assistants in the Van
Houten Bros., who, knowing what was lacking, relieved
the failing doctor by purchase and reorganized the busi-
ness by taking in associates wTith capital and energy. J.
P. Van Houten is still the one to select the fundamental
elements of success. President C. M. Cartwright is a
cautious and shrewd judge of men and things, and it
seems he is ready to spend freely to secure the best where-
ever it may be found, in which policy he is ably sup-
ported by J. G. Edwards. Whether in France or Ger-
many, among the breeders of Rambouillets in Ohio,
among the leading American Delaine Merino breeders,
or at the Oregon State Fair, where their excellent flock
manager, E. H. Dean, had instruction to purchase any
sheep, showing points excelling what he had in his care.
242 JOHN MINTO.
This was the order of J. G. Edwards, treasurer, and shows
enterprise worthy of his company.
I have thus briefly touched the historical origin of what
I am not alone in deeming the greatest Merino breeding
station in the world at present. Fourteen thousand se-
lected pure Merino ewes, giving opportunity to place an-
nually to the service of flock owners 5,000 head of choice
breeding sheep, and on the wool market 500,000 pounds
of fine wool. The basic security for doing this is the
annual harvest of 2,500 tons of alfalfa hay in addition to
30,000 acres of carefully selected land for pasture and hay
production.
The representative of the American Sheep Breeders and
Wool Growers, himself a Merino breeder in Ohio, was so
impressed by the superior size of these Eastern Oregon
bred sheep that he sent one back to Ohio as a specimen.
In addition to this leading Merino breeding plant there
are at least four others in Eastern Oregon which would
be deemed large in any other state or country. Allan &
LaFollett of Prineville have an annual output of rams
for the trade of 1,000 to 1,200. As many are now mar-
keted from Antelope. From Heppner E. F. Day has
1,000 to 1,200, and A. Lindsay from 500 to 600 head.
Charles Cunningham of Pendleton, who began breeding
thoroughbred Merino in 1871, two years in advance of
Doctor Baldwin, has, in addition to several large bands
of stock sheep, over 8,000 thoroughbred ewes, and his
sales of rams has for years past been upwards of 3,000
annually, a record he will surpass the present season.
His stock is mainly of the Rambouillet and Delaine
types of Merino. This makes Mr. Cunningham the
largest individual breeder and a pioneer in the business in
Eastern Oregon, and swells the total output to the trade
to more than 12,000, which, by the aid of middlemen,
who make a business of it, disseminates this means of
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 243
improvement from the east slopes of the Cascades to
Central Kansas and from the Mexican line to that of
Canada and beyond. The retail value of these 12,000
sheep ranges from five to twenty times the value of mut-
ton and stock sheep.
On the uplands of the Willamette Valley high grade
Merinos are the very best gleaners and assistance in grain
farming ; but the climate of Western Oregon will permit
under lowland Scotch methods of farming, — the Down
breeds of Middle Wools or the Lincolns, Cotswold or
Leicesters of quality equal to the same breeds in Great
Britain, and the general tendency is now towards those
breeds. At the State Fair, closing as this is written,
there were 157 Middle Wools, 113 Long Wools, and 70
head of Merinos, and 47 Angora goats entered for prizes.
Ten exhibitors of English breeds and those of Merinos.
The Merinos and the Angoras are the frontier settler's
profitable aid, and British breeds, with rape, clover and
vetches are the intense farmer's profits, or means to that
end.
As stated in the first part of this paper, the writer in
1860 became half owner of nine pure merino ewes, six
of which were pure Macarthur Australians. The first
ewe lamb sold was to his neighbor, T. L. Davidson'. In
1862 Mr. Davidson purchased two more ewe lambs and
one from Donald McLeod of Vermont type. The three
purchased from me were of the first cross of the Vermont
type of Spanish Merino with the Australian. Mr. David-
son bred in the same direction, with the result that his
flock classed as pure Spanish with finer wool than was
then aimed for by Vermont breeders. He sent samples
to the Centennial of 1876 and was awarded a first-class
medal on the following report of the judges : "Some ex-
cellent samples of fine Merino wool from the State of
244 JOHN MINTO.
Oregon, closely resembling Australian wools; giving evi-
dence that the state can produce very valuable wool.'
This is upon the quality of Merino wool grown in
Western Oregon, not more than 180 feet above sea level,
eighteen years after the introduction into the Willamette
Valley of 20 head of Macarthur's Australian Merinos.
This may be a fitting point to record the opinion of two
acknowledged experts, not citizens of Oregon, yet serving
as judges at Oregon's State Fair, just closed. N. H.
Gentry, a prominent cattle breeder of Sedalia, Mo., vis-
ited the fair and served as judge of beef cattle and swine.
After praising the exhibits of both classes he said : —
I also saw some fine displays of sheep, and, judging by the re-
markably healthy condition of the sheep I should say this must be a
good country for sheep. The thrifty appearance of the wool and the
good gloss it bore particularly attracted my attention.
Mr. Gentry is, besides being prominent as a stock
breeder, a member of the Louisiana Purchase Exhibi-
tion Commission, and it is hoped he will revisit Oregon
in 1905.
Prof. W. L. Carlyle, of the Chair of Animal Industry
at the University of Wisconsin, was judge of dairy cattle,
draft horses and sheep at the last Oregon State Fair. In
answer to questions of a reporter for the Oregonian, he
said : —
The sheep exhibit was a complete surprise to me in its high qual-
ity. I think that at none of the eastern state fairs will as good an
exhibit of Cotswold sheep be found. The growth of wool was particu-
larly fine, and demonstrated that this country, in so far as wool pro-
duction is concerned, can not be excelled in the United States. Not a
single poor sheep* was shown, though there were four large exhibits.
The Shropshire breed was well represented, but the animals were not
of such uniformly high character as the Cotswolds. The development
of the lambs in this class was noteworthy, as it was in all others. This
seems to indicate that Oregon should prove a very formidable rival of
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 245
England in the future, and I can see no reason why eastern breeders
should not get their exhibit stock from the Pacific Coast, instead of
going to England for it.
With the long, hard winters which we have to contend with in the
middle west, it is very difficult to grow lambs and young sheep to the
greatest perfection in the first year, and for this reason exhibitors
import their show stock from England. So soon as Oregon breeders
take hold of the matter as they should, I believe they can challenge
the world in the production of high-class sheep.
I do not know of a better flock of Dorset sheep on the continent
than the flock of Mr. Scott of Menomone, and I think the best Shrop-
shire lamb I have seen in years was exhibited by Mr. C. E. Ladd. I
am taking some samples of wool from this flock to Wisconsin Univer-
sity for exhibition purposes in the classroom, as I have never found its
equal in length of staple and strength of fiber.
This is in line with the prediction of Mr. Peale, the
naturalist, who, as a member of Wilkes' Expedition, was
in Oregon in 1842, and said : —
Oregon will be a fine sheep country, as for the health of sheep up-
land pastures are necessary, and your even, moderate climate, permit-
ting the fur-bearing animals to carry their fine furs throughout the
year, will do the same for the wool of sheep.
It also accords with results attained by leading breed-
ers in both Western and Eastern Oregon. Dr. James
Withycombe, now at the head of the Oregon Experiment
Station, of English birth, has been a breeder of both
Cots wold and Merino sheep, and believes with Professor
Carlyle that Western Oregon can produce Cotswolds su-
perior to England.
THE INFLUENCE OF SHEEP HUSBANDRY ON HUMAN
CHARACTER.
There is another and still more important product of
sheep husbandry than that breeding the best sheep. In-
dependent manhood is doing much and enduring much as
a pioneer of law order and thereby advancing the be-
246 JOHN MINTO.
ginnings of agriculture, commerce, and manufactures,
over the waste places of our yet young state. I have in-
dicated how the first woolen mill was started on the Pa-
cific side by the pioneer wool-growing farmers and may
fittingly close this paper by summarizing the transactions
of the last meeting of the Oregon Wool Growers' Asso-
ciation.
It met at Pendleton, Oregon, on the sixteenth of Sep-
tember, was welcomed by the mayor of the city, re-
sponded to by Hon. J. N. Williamson in behalf of the
association. It passed a series of resolutions in behalf of
farmers, ranchmen, cattlemen, and a number of other in-
dustries, particularly in the eastern part of the state, to
the effect that the wool growers are receiving a benefit
from the funds appropriated by the state for the purpose
of paying a bounty on the destruction of coyotes and other
predaceous animals far in excess of the amount paid out ;
declares a great reduction of these destructive animals
under the law passed by the last legislature, and thanks
that body therefor, predicting a rapid decrease in the
expense to the state from now on if the law be continued,
for which it prays, pledging its efforts to secure a similar
law in adjoining states. It speaks for legislative appro-
priation of public money in assistance of the fair to be
held in commemoration of the first exploration of the Pa-
cific Northwest and pledges its assistance.5
It indorses the proposed national forest reserve on the
Blue Mountains as having an undoubted tendency towards
settling the untoward differences that now exist between
those owning cattle on the one hand and sheep on the
other, known as "the cattle and sheep war.' It pledges
5 This association at its annual meeting in 1901 declared its purpose to bring
assassins of sheep on the range, whether by poison or the rifle, to legal punish-
ment, and as members have more than ordinary means of indentifying a mis-
creant of this kind, it will be a long time before some of them are entirely safe.
SHEEP HUSBANDRY. 247
its co-operation with the plans of the government in
making rules for grazing such portions of forest reserves
as can be grazed not only without injury, but as experi-
ence was proving while this body was in session, and
voting from its limited funds, contribution in aid of suf-
ferers by the death and destruction caused west of the Cas-
cade range, mainly by brush fires of home builders. It
sends its condolence and sympathy to these sufferers, con-
demns the manufacture of and sale of shoddy cloth for
that of sound wool, and speaks for a railroad rate of
twenty-five miles per hour from Oregon shipping points
to the great markets of Chicago, Omaha, and Kansas
City.6 Can the cattle interest show any such spirit?
6 This body had at this meeting 119 members in good standing, owners of
325,000 sheep, not quite one tenth of the sheep of the state, but ably representing
its entire interests in its particular field. The interest, however, from the writer's
point of view is in a transition state away from the range system and towards a
settled permanency on all lands in Eastern Oregon not reachable by irrigation.
By L. E. PRATT.
About the year 1854 Mr. Joseph Watt, being at that
time one of the largest sheep owners in the territory, and
there being no market for the wool produced, Mr. Watt
conceived the idea of manufacturing the wool into service-
able goods to supply the pioneers. He first attempted
to organize a company and locate the factory in Yamhill
County (then his place of residence), but, failing to get
satisfactory encouragement, he came to Marion County
and here met with better encouragement, and by perse-
verance succeeded in getting others interested and finally
organized a joint stock company, which was duly incor-
porated by an act of the territorial legislature in 1856.
He commenced operations by constructing a canal from
the Santiam Eiver, about one mile, to intersect with Mill
Creek, (which was totally dry in the summer season,)
which leads down through the prairie about 15 miles
and intersects the Willamette at Salem, where the fac-
tory was located, furnishing abundant water power for
the factory and for other extended improvements. Mr.
Joseph Watt was the originator and also the father of
the wool producing and wool manufacturing industry of
Oregon. The following is the history of the first woolen
factory on the Pacific Coast, by the manager from 1857
to 1863 : Its unfavorable and almost unsuccessful com-
mencement— Its final perfect success — Its changing
ownership and by the mismanagement of the new com-
pany was burdened with debt and loss of credit — Again
changed ownership and was soon thereafter mysteriously
destroyed by fire.
HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 249
THE HISTORY.
In the year 1856 the Willamette Woolen Manufactur-
ing Company was organized and incorporated with Geo.
H. Williams, president ; Alfred Stan ton, vice president ;
Joseph Watt, W. H. Rector, Joseph Holman, E. M. Bar-
num, L. F. Grover, directors ; Joseph D. Wilson, secre-
tary, and John D. Boon, treasurer.
In the autumn of this year Mr. W. H. Rector was
chosen to proceed to the East to procure the machinery
and to employ a competent man to go to Oregon to put
in operation the machinery and to superintend the man-
ufactory when in operation. Upon arriving in the East
he chanced to meet a woolen manufacturer to whom he
stated his business. Finding him free and communica-
tive he asked his advice as to the course to pursue, which
he freely gave as follows : In the first place secure your
man, — one who thoroughly understands every depart-
ment and also capable of locating and drawing a plan
of the building adapted to the machinery and water
power, and finding such you will find all else easy. His
adviser chanced to be my last employer, for whom I su-
perintended for the last six years. He also recommended
and advised him to secure my services if he could. I
was also recommended by the machine builders in Mas-
sachusetts, with most of whom I was well acquainted.
He came to see me and in about twelve hours I had
engaged to him to go to Oregon. The first thing re-
quired was the plan of the building requisite for two
sets of machinery, he giving me a verbal description of
the location, fall of water, etc. The draft for a wood
building completed was forwarded by mail in order to
have the work on the building progressing. Then an
itemized bill of the machinery and supplies was made
out. This completed, I accompanied him to North An-
250 L. E. PRATT.
dover to Davis & Furber, woolen machinery builders,
to procure the same. My surprise may be imagined upon
hearing his proposition to Mr. Davis, having but $2,500
to pay for $12,000 worth of machinery and to get credit
for the balance. Mr. Davis qustioned Mr. Rector as to
the respectability of the individual members of the com-
pany. Then calling me to one side the following conver-
sation passed : "Have you engaged to this man to go to
Oregon?' I answered, "I have.' "Don't you think
you are making a great mistake, as you will soon get
into a good situation here at home?' I replied, "Busi-
ness is very dull. We don't know how long it will last,
and I have a desire to go West to see and know something
of the country, and decided to take this opportunity to
go to the far West.' Davis said, "Then you will go?'
"I will.' Then said Davis, "I would not like to take
the risk of furnishing the machinery on account of the
distance and no one there that I know ; but as you are
going the machinery can go on the terms proposed, and
I wish you success.'
All necessary arrangements completed, I then made
preparations to leave New England for Oregon, which
occurred on the fifth of May, 1857, via the Isthmus, ar-
riving in Salem June 7.
Soon after my arrival here the money to liquidate the
Davis & Furber bill of machinery was loaned to the com-
pany by Mr. Daniel Waldo, about $10,000, at 2 per cent
per month, interest to be paid every six months or note
renewed and interest added. In November ('57) the
machinery arrived in Salem and the building was com-
pleted and ready to receive it.
At this time another loan was effected from Joseph
Watt of about $9,000, on same terms of that from Mr.
Waldo. The freight on machinery and other expenses
made this necessary. I immediately commenced to set
HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 251
up and get in operation the machinery with two men to
assist and learn to operate when set up. In the last wreek
in December ('57) we had the machinery in good work-
ing order, and at the end of the first week in January
('58) were finished the first lot of fine white blankets,
and in a few days after cloths and flannels were finished
and ready for market.
About this time E. M. Barnum was appointed "general
agent.' In about one month after his appointment he
resigned, discouraged with the unfavorable prospect of
disposing of the goods and furnishing money and wool to
keep the factory in operation.
A. S. Watt was then appointed his successor. About
May 1 ('58) the stock of wool was nearly exhausted, the
mill was stopped and all hands except myself went or
started for Frazer River. About July 1 ('58) the men
all returned and work was resumed. A. S. Watt not
meeting with any better success than Mr. Barnum and
for the same reason he resigned. A contract was then
made with Joseph Watt to take all the goods manufact-
ured, except what might be required to exchange for wool
at the mill. He was to furnish money and wool suffi-
cient to enable me to keep the mill in operation. After
about two months, having been applied to a number of
times for relief and failing to furnish any money and very
little wool, and the employees being in debt to the mar-
ket and stores in town and further credit being refused,
a suspension of operations appeared certain in conse-
quence. I then presented to the directors a statement of
the situation of affairs, showing that it was impossible
to continue longer without relief. A meeting of the com-
pany was called, which resulted in the abrogation of the
contract with Joseph Watt with a stipulation in his favor
and a decision as to the course to pursue.
3
252 L. E. PRATT.
I was then called into their meeting and the president
related to me their decision, (the following appears in
the margin : "Expecting to hear that they had decided
to suspend operations,") which was: As a last effort
to succeed in the enterprise the entire management was
intrusted to myself with this remark : "There is the mill
and the machinery, the wool and goods on hand. We
put everything into your hands to do the best you can
and abide the result.' I replied that under the circum-
stances and in justice to myself I ought to decline to
take the responsibility and the risk. The reasons : First,
the company's notes are out for over $20,000 at 2 per
cent per month ; second, there is very little money in cir-
culation in the country, business nearly all done by trade
and exchange and long credit. Stores throughout the
country well stocked with cheap eastern goods sent to
this country during the panic of '56 and '57, and, as has
been reported by the three successive agents, with the
exception of a few blankets very little could be sold ;
third, wages, the lowest to be obtained, at $2.50 and
$3.00 per day. All the help, with myself, are in debt for
our living and further credit declined, and some bills
owing in San Francisco and Portland for oils, dyestuffs,
etc. This is the present condition and situation. I am
here and this is my occupation. In accepting your prop-
osition upon myself rests the success or failure of this
enterprise at this time in Oregon, but I accept and will
make a most vigorous effort to succeed.
I at once informed the employees of the arrangement,
asking them to continue on with the work to the best ad-
vantage, as we must consider we were then working for
ourselves ; that there should always be goods on hand at
the mill sufficient, if the worst came, to pay every man,
and I was taking my chance with them. I also gave the
merchants in town the same assurance, they agreeing to
HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 253
extend our credit for a time. Having arranged every-
thing as satisfactory as I could, I then turned my atten-
tion to introducing the goods, going the length and
breadth of the valley to every responsible merchant, mak-
ing an arrangement to exchange factory goods for wool,
taking orders to be paid in wool. It was useless to pro-
pose to sell to them, but to exchange for wool suited
them as well as myself. Almost without exception they
readily agreed to that proposition. This was the first
successful movement towards introducing the goods.
About the first of August I proposed to the secretary,
J. G. Wilson, that there should be duebills issued by the
company in value from 50 cents to $10, to the amount at
that time of $1,000, to be issued to the employees to pay
for their purchases in town, it being more convenient
than giving orders and safer for the merchants than stand-
ing accounts with them. Seeing the advantage he rec-
ommended the plan to the directors and they consented
to the plan, and the duebills, or as they were called
' 'Factory Scrip,' was issued and used as paper money.
The advantage gained by this issue of factory scrip in
different ways, and more particularly in introducing the
goods, was almost incredible. In fact, for a time it was
a current circulating medium. In about one year from
the time it was first issued it accompanied the orders for
goods from Victoria and the Sound to Roseburg, Oregon ;
and when greenbacks were first in circulation here, in
most cases factory scrip was preferred. I then felt that
the company was safe when the credit of the company
was as good as that of the United States.
During the month of August ('59) I made arrange-
ments with a firm in Portland dealing most entirely in
groceries for the exchange of goods, which they did to
quite an extent. Soon after, as the goods became known,
a wholesale house made to me a more advantageous prop-
254 L. E. PRATT.
osition which was accepted ; the result was the opening
of a store in connection with the factory, which was con-
tinued for some time and resulted in an increased demand
for the factory goods.
In September ('59) I put up quite a large invoice of
goods to be exhibited and sold at the California State Fair
at Sacramento, which was successful, receiving from the
fair a fine diploma on silk in a fine frame for first woolen
goods manufactured on this coast. The goods were all
sold at a fair price, Charles Crocker of San Francisco
being the principal purchaser. From this introduction
orders were received from California until the Mission
mill in San Francisco was in operation in the following
year. At about the same time I made a tour through
the Sound country with samples. Succeeded in getting
a number of orders ; though small, they answered well
as an introduction of the goods, as it afterwards proved.
Having made a thorough distribution of the goods and
being satisfied what the result would be, turned my at-
tention to the manufacture through the winter. More
wool having arrived than expected as the result of the
exchange plan, there being about 80,000 pounds more
than could be consumed before the new clip, I sold it to
a San Francisco firm at the rate of 20 per cent above cost.
The proceeds from this sale and from a small contract for
blankets for the Indian Department yielded an amount
of money which enabled me to pay the indebtedness of
the company in San Francisco and Portland for soap,
oils, dyestuffs, etc., and procure for the winter a supply
of the same. May 1, — quite a large supply of goods on
hand ; wool had commenced to arrive ; soon found goods
were being exchanged as fast as made ; commenced run-
ning a part of the machinery nights on the first of August
('60). Found that we had a surplus of about 25,000
pounds of wool, which was sold to a San Fransisco firm
HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 255
for 25 per cent above cost. The balance of the amount
received for this wool, after reserving an amount suffi-
cient for the purchase of supplies, along with $5,000 bor-
rowed at 1 per cent, paid off the Watt note and interest
amounting to about $11,000. May, 1861, found us better
prepared to receive the wool, the store being well sup-
plied with an assorted stock of goods and the factory
goods found to be more serviceable and giving better sat-
isfaction than the imported and the rapidly increasing
confidence in the company relieved to a great extent the
anxiety of myself and the company.
Again in August of this year ('61) I found that we
would have a surplus of about 55,000 pounds of wool and
run the machinery day and night. The directors not
complying with my wish to ship it East it was sold to the
same firm in San Francisco for about 30 per cent above
cost. The proceeds paid all the indebtedness of the com-
pany, except the claim of Mr. Waldo, who preferred to
let his remain by the interest being paid and at 10 per
cent per annum instead of 2 per cent a month . This was
thought advisable, as it was now evident that to increase
the machinery to five sets might be advisable and this
was being considered.
In the early spring of 1862 it was evident that the
wool clip would be increased this year fully 100 per
cent and we had it all secured and partly paid for, and
our surplus would be about 100,000 pounds. Renewing
my urgent advice and insisting upon it, the directors finally
consented for me to ship this year's surplus East. I ac-
cordingly shipped 100,000 pounds to Boston — the first
shipment of wool direct from Oregon to the East. About
August 1, 1862, all the wool was taken from Salem. It
reached Boston in February, 1863.
Immediately after shipping the wool I ordered three
sets of machinery complete. Made a draft of the new
256 L. E. PRATT.
building to be erected and ordered lumber for the same.
Employed a competent accountant, took an account of
stock, made a balance sheet which showed at that time
the assets of the company made the stock worth fully
$650 a share (in pencil : "the original not counting cost
of Santiam water in the account") . The wool arriving
in Boston in good condition and at a favorable time sold
readily at a net gain of over 200 per cent. Including
the proceeds in the estimate of the value of the stock it
would exceed $850 a share. It will be observed that in
about four years the value of the stock increased from
$250 per share and over $20,000 in debt, to over $850 a
share and no debt, making a net gain of over 400 per
cent. (In pencil the figures 156 and 500 are placed over
$250 and 400 per cent respectively). This was accom-
plished with the disadvantages under which we were
laboring as before mentioned at the commencement. I
would challenge any other woolen factory on this coast
to exhibit as favorable a showing under less difficulties.
L. F. Grover, being one of the shareholders of the
company, upon hearing my report of the standing of the
company associated with him Joseph Smith, W. K. Smith,
and J. F. Miller, and in a quiet way commenced to pro-
cure the controlling interest in the stock, in which they
succeeded by paying from $2,000 to $2,500 a share. A
meeting of the company was called in January, 1863. I
had about twelve shares at the time and was putting all
my earnings in the stock. At this meeting James F.
Miller claimed and voted a share of stock I had paid for
two months previous and I held the certificate trans-
ferred to me by the original owner, but he did not allow
me to represent it. This gave to those men the majority
or control.
They voted to themselves all the offices of the com-
pany. Then, voting to each one an exorbitant salary,
HISTORY OP WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 257
the meeting adjourned. In about two weeks after this
meeting the four, with J. F. Miller at their head, came
to me at my desk and Miller in an authoritative and to
me insulting manner said, "Pratt, we will run this thing
now.' I (being surprised) replied, "I suppose you have
no further use for me?': Don't recollect of either of them
making any reply to me, but waiting a few minutes and
nothing being said or notice given me, I went home. In
a fe\v days Mr. Rector was sent to me by them with a
proposition to return and take the agency of the company
and set up the new machinery which had then arrived
in Portland. I declined their proposition, and made
them a proposition stating the terms on which I would
return, which they in turn declined with a threat that,
unless I acceded to their terms and came and set up the
machinery, (which in fact was all they wanted of me,)
they would make such representations that would reflect
seriously upon my reputation and prevent me from get-
ting another situation in Oregon. I replied, "That settles
it. If those men will condescend to such contemptible
business, they altogether have not money enough to em-
ploy me. Tell them they can go to .' Thus ended
my connection with the Willamette Woolen Manufactur-
ing Company.
[The lines of the following sentence are inclosed
within braces: "The next year ('64) located, drew up
plan of the Oregon City factory, procured the machinery
and put the mill in operation."]
Upon leaving the factory company I sold my stock
in the company, and also advised my friends, Daniel
Waldo and W. H. Eector, to do the same, particularly
advising Mr. Waldo to draw his money he had loaned the
company, as I was sure he would then realize more for
his stock and money than he ever would again. He de-
clined to take my advice. The result was as I told him.
258 L. E. PRATT.
He withdrew from the company in 18 — with about
$5,000 instead of $25,000 if he had done as advised.
It was my intention, with the proceeds of the last sale
of wool, to liquidate the indebtedness of the company,
have regular monthly pay days for the employees, and,
when it was necessary, to pay cash for wool ; and by all
means to retain this as the market for all the wool of
this valley, as it then was and could have been for some
time to come with proper management, but the "quar-
tette' owning property in the vicinity of South Mill
Creek, and aiming to make it more valuable, an exten-
sive "flour mill" was erected with the proceeds of that
wool, and, that not being sufficient, and finding that
there was quite a large amount of factory goods distrib-
uted through the valley (intended to be exchanged for
wool) an immediate demand for payment in money was
made (a violation of my understanding and agreement),
which would have been a great disappointment to the
best patrons of the company. In consequence of which
many of those who had engaged wool intending it for
the factory sold to San Francisco buyers, who, finding
the factory company was working under a different man-
agement and a different plan, sent men through the
valley to purchase the wool, the result of which was that
it checked the demand for factory goods and invited com-
petition in the securing the wool to such an extent that
the company found it difficult to secure sufficient for the
factory.
In 18 — Robert Kinney became one of the Willamette
Woolen Manufacturing Company by purchasing one of
the Smiths' eighteen shares of the stock. At about this
time, or before, the Smiths, seeing where their superior
mismanagement was taking them, in some way extricated
themselves altogether from the company. I am not able
to learn how or in what way, other than the unloading
HISTORY OF WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY. 259
the above eighteen shares onto Robert Kinney. The
Smiths being out, the agency devolved on L. F. G.
In 18 — Robert Kinney discovered his mistake, and,
thoroughly disgusted with the management, immediately
set to work to extricate himself from the company, in
which he finally succeeded in 1870 by taking the flour
mill for his portion, paying therefor the eighteen shares
of stock in the Willamette Woolen Manufacturing Com-
pany and $7,500 coin.
It has been said that the Willamette Woolen Manufac-
turing Company was doing better under the management
of Joseph Smith (my successor) than at any other time,
which should have been the case I will admit for the fol-
lowing reasons : First, the company soon after his ap-
pointment to that position came into the possession of
about $60,000 cash, the proceeds of the wool I shipped
East in 1862 ; second, it being the time during the war
that the woolen goods were advancing from 10 to 20 per
cent, and a ready market for all that could be made ;
third, the increased capacity of the factory to three times
what it had been by the addition of the new machinery,
just arrived from the East. With the benefit of the
above advantages in his favor, most of which was ac-
complished and provided by his predecessor, why should
he not have succeeded better? And if the company did
succeed better, why did they soon after commence to
borrow money from the Bank of British Columbia and
from Ladd & Bush, and continue to borrow until finally
the whole property was mortgaged to secure a debt of
$85,000? Add to this $20,000 that was swindled out of
Daniel Waldo, making over $100,000. Then in 1875 it
was deeded to W. C. Griswold in consideration of the
sum of $100.
This work, by Capt. Hiram M. Chittenden of the United
States Corps of Engineers, is a departure from the old
methods in history. We have in the past been satisfied
to know the main incidents in human progress and their
results without inquiry into the personal motives and
technical features of our founders and builders. If we
ever learned more, it was through the researches of an
occasional biographer, who in his admiration for, or con-
demnation of, an individual character, brought to light
hitherto unknown, often unsuspected facts. Inspired by
emulation a rival biographer gave an opposite view, and
in the course of time the true history was dragged to
light. Thus, in the passing of centuries, by adding to and
taking from, we get what we are satisfied to believe is a
correct general account of our beginnings and progress.
In the book before us readers are saved this tedious
method of getting at an understanding of events in the
first century of American occupation of the Pacific North-
west. To accomplish such a result Captain Chittenden
has, of course, been compelled to avail himself of the
work previously done by others. But he has so carefully
collected his material, and so artistically brought it to-
gether, that it has in effect the realistic features of the
cyclorama, and we see all the participants in the action,
which continues to go on.
The history of Oregon, subsequent to the navigator
period, began with the Lewis and Clark expedition.
CHITTENDEN'S FUR TRADE. 261
Already there were fur traders in what was then the far
west. For two thirds of a generation after that, all
the vast territory between the Missouri and the Rocky
Mountains, and also a border-land about the Great Lakes,
and the headwaters of the Mississippi was every-man's
land, where the French and the English hunted, and
made war upon Americans, while the Indians made war
upon each in turn.
After our war of 1812, which although brought on by
an abuse of maritime rights by the English, was made the
excuse by English fur traders for the abuse of American
rights on land, the United States congress passed an "ex-
clusion act' compelling the British traders to remove
their posts to British territory. This they did as to their
posts, but as to their hunting they still for several years
continued to gather furs on American rivers and in Ameri-
can forests.
These unsettled conditions bred a class of men whose
''double' will never again be seen on American soil, if
anywhere on the globe. For brain and brawn, for cour-
age and generalship , their leaders stand unrivaled . Their
battlefields were scattered over the interior of America
from the Missouri to the Columbia, and beyond, to the
headwaters of the great Oregon River, even to the Ump-
qua, near the California boundary.
Unfortunately, the wars were not always with Indians,
but quite as often between rival trading companies . Com-
merce has always been a relentless pioneer, as it is the
most successful civilizer. Except for trade there would
be "open doors' nowhere on the earth. It has always
required b]ood to make fertile the soil of its most produc-
tive regions — the more productive, the more blood.
Beginning with a sketch of the condition of the Missis-
sippi frontier, and the founding of St. Louis, Captain
Chittenden gives us the story of the Astor enterprise,
262 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
following pretty closely Irving's narratives, which, how-
ever, he amplifies with proofs and opinions which estab-
lish its credibility as against certain authors of nearly an
even date. He makes plain Astor's claim to be consid-
ered a genius of the highest order as a promoter, although
sometimes failing from overzeal or overconfidence in his
associates. Of his influence on the fate of Oregon, he
says :
In exploiting1 his schemes of commercial conquest Mr. Astor was
early led to entertain views regarding- the expansion of American ter-
ritory altogether in advance of those of our own statesmen. He be-
lieved not only in the desirability but the practicability of our taking
possession of the whole Pacific coast from the Spanish to the Russian
possessions, and he clearly saw in that distant region the germ of a
mighty future empire. He took the only view which a man accus-
tomed to look at things on a broad scale yet in a plain matter of fact
way, could take, that it would be better for this territory to be in the
possession of a single power than to be parceled out among several.
There can be no doubt as to what power Mr. Astor thought that this
should be. His project of commerce led him into relations with his
government which, it seems, heartily applauded his views, but could
lend him no other aid than tacit encouragement. It is ever to be
lamented that President Madison did not see his way to adopt as bold
a course in regard to Mr. Astor's enterprise as did his illustrious prede-
cessor in office in regard to the purchase of Louisiana. Had he done
so the political map of North America would not be what it is to day.
Captain Chittenden explains Astor's unfortunate con-
nection with the Northwest Company of Montreal, which
had declined to join him in his commercial schemes, and
says that they "resolved to anticipate him in his own
plans," and acknowledged that he erred in organizing
his company largely from the Northwest Company's men.
This was certainly, on either side, meant to be a counter-
plot. The Northwest Company preferred to undertake
to beat Mr. Astor at his own game. Astor thought by
taking into the Pacific Fur Company men from the North-
west Company to prevent such an achievement. But
circumstances were all against him ; disasters by land
CHITTENDEN'S FUR TRADE. 263
and sea, wars and rumors of wars, bloodless so far as the
two companies were concerned, but decisive in their
effect, joined to defeat him in his so nearly realized con-
quest of the trade of the world.
Although beaten at the time it can not be said that Mr.
Astor failed to leave a great legacy to the United States.
He secured a trade with the Russian establishments in
the North which has played no insignificant part in
American history for the last century. Beside the bene-
fit derived from trade, Russia acted as an ally in the de-
fense of the coast from other foreign powers. It is true
that Great Britain enjoyed for over thirty years this leg-
acy along with the possession of the Oregon territory on
the Pacific, and obtained (from the Russians) privileges
of trade in California ; but in one respect English traders
were crippled, in the Pacific seas, where the East India
Company had a monopoly. They could not ship direct
to their best market, China, but were forced to send their
costly cargoes across the continent and across the Atlantic
to be reshipped from London via the East Indian route.
That this hardship, which kept open interior American
routes worked a final benefit to the American trade, and
the commerce of the West is true. It is true also that
since the United States was not yet able, through its
youth, and lack of means, to contend with any great
power, it was fortunate that its joint occupancy was with
the English nation rather than with a people of another
tongue, and other ideas of civilization.
It was fortunate again that the orderly and strictly or-
ganized Hudson Bay Company finally absorbed the brave
but wild Northwesters. Had the latter been in occupa-
tion at the period when American traders first ventured
west of the Rocky Mountains, it might have fared worse
with them. In criticizing Captain Chittenden, I should
"stick a pin there.'-' The Northwest leaders, while they
*
264 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
were trained athletes, often scholars, thoroughly versed
in the tactics of their warlike business, entertaining so-
cially, and hospitable, were rapacious and merciless in
their dealings with rival traders. The story of the fur
trade runs very differently after George Simpson became
their head in America by the union of the two great Eng-
lish companies of Canada, and John McLoughlin took
charge of affairs on the Columbia River in Oregon. The
early prejudices of Oregon pioneers were chiefly an
inheritance from their grandfathers, who had fought
"Northwesters" and Indians of a previous generation on
the Canada frontier, and finding some of that stock among
the Columbia River traders were fain to fall to fighting
them without much if any provocation. What would
have become of the first missionaries and settlers had the
British fur company with its stores of goods and its farm
products not been found here? The fate of the overland
expedition of Astor would have been theirs. It is true
McLoughlin, who was practically the governor of Oregon,
had been an officer of the Northwest Company, but he
was one who on occasion could safely set at defiance his
superiors in rank by shaming them into more civilized
practices. The historian of Oregon should, I think, dis-
criminate between the men who ousted Astor, and their
successors, the Hudson Bay Company.
The losses and discouragements of Mr. Astor on the
Pacific Slope were not permitted to interfere with his
plans concerning the interior. Out of the wreck of sev-
eral early trade organizations he created the Great Amer-
ican Fur Company, a part of whose history is the story
told by Irving, Franchere, Cox, and others. The English-
Canadian companies' system was one of forts. These
they found necessary not only for the storage of their
CHITTENDEN'S FUR TRADE. 265
goods and furs, but for protection in case of attack. Fort
Union, on the Upper Missouri, erected in 1828, was the
chief establishment, the capital it may be said, of the
American company. There were many more at places
favorable for trade on the Missouri and its branches.
Other fur companies competing with the American
were kept away from the great rivers by the tribes in
alliance with this company and were forced, or found it
to their advantage, to adopt the wandering habits of the
Indians, having only a general rendezvous from which
parties were sent out in different directions for the sea-
son's hunt. Instead of permanent storehouses they re-
sorted to caches, burying their furs until the annual
caravan set out for Saint Louis. When the trade was at
its height, about 1834, there were half a dozen organized
companies in the field from the United States, besides
many lone traders like Wyeth, Bonneville, Pilcher, Fon-
tenelle, and others.
It does not require any great stretch of imagination to
picture, rudely, what fur hunting life must have been in
and about the Rocky Mountains from 1821 to 1840, when
it had ceased as a great business, only the American com-
pany still occupying the field a few years longer. It does
require, however, something more than imagination to
picture it as it was. This, Captain Chittenden has suc-
cessfully accomplished, and unveiling the greedy brood
of fortune hunters in a lawless and comfortless country,
has shown us how the Far West was despoiled of its nat-
ural riches, and depopulated of its wild men and wild
animals. The loss of life in the business, in proportion
to the number of men employed, was large ; while the
profits, on account of losses by Indian raids and rob-
beries, as well as by the raids of the rival parties, were
not so enormous as from the small prices paid for furs
and small wages to trappers, might be expected. "Judged
266 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
by the volume of business, also, "says Chittenden, "the
fur trade was of relatively insignificant proportions ; but
its importance and historic interest depend upon other
and quite different considerations.'
The "other considerations,' which included the one
first mentioned — the saving of Oregon to the United
States — were numerous, even after deducting the for-
tunes which were made by the few at the expense of the
many. Allowing that there were, in the service of the
American fur companies in the Oregon Territory during
the twenty years of their existence, 2,000 men, which is
probably a fair estimate, the results of their labors are
remarkable. To their presence in the country, and the
protection it afforded, the various sciences of geography,
natural history (animal life), botany, ethnology, meteor-
ology, geology, and mineralogy are greatly indebted.
Government expeditions, fitted out though they may be
with every possible instrument and apparatus, through
the very perfection of their equipment fail to effect the
discoveries which the lonely hunter and trapper made in
his annual wanderings.
Exploring expeditions by the government in the Pacific
Northwest began about the time the fur trade period
closed, in the early '40s ; but before that time there were
books upon the physical sciences whose authors had trav-
eled over the far West under the escort of the fur com-
panies, being entertained at forts and made welcome at
camp and rendezvous. There was hardly a stream or
lake in the Rocky -mountain region, now comprising sev-
eral great states, that had not been named, and to which
some incident of history attached. A trapper (American)
although he could not quote Shakespeare ( as some of
them could), was able to make a map of the region he
roamed over which the reader of explorers' reports would
be glad to possess to-day. During the period between
CHITTENDEN'S FUR TRADE. 267
1843 and 1860, when mining began to be developed — the
discoveries being made by old mountain men who still
lingered on the borders of former hunting grounds —
many of these unsung heroes had become settlers among
immigrants of the coast region, and in this new life of
members of orderly communities had proven themselves
patriotic and law-abiding citizens. They were the ' 'hearts
of oak" on whose firm loyalty the young empire when in
peril always depended.
I have not space without monopolizing too many pages
of this magazine to express my conception of the coun-
try's debt to the hunters and trappers as well as to leaders
in the fur companies. Such, I believe, is the sentiment
under whose influence Captain Chittenden wrote his His-
tory of the Fur Trade ; and for the faithful pen pictures
he has given us of all sides of the subject he deserves our
praises.
As a narrative the book is a storehouse of adventure
and biography. Dates and descriptions of forts is another
interesting feature, these "ancient' : structures being
among those first things which always seem of so much
greater importance than any that follow. But it is in the
men who built, occupied, and defended them that we find
the chief interest. Their lives and their aims are a prob-
lem ; but then, so are all lives.
Let me not omit to mention the part played in the his-
tory of the fur trade by that demoralizing fluid which,
taking possession of a man's stomach, "steals away his
brains.' A century ago the fathers of our republic, pat-
terning after their British sires, thought no ill of a wine
cellar or a sideboard with a variety of liquors upon it.
Whether it was climate or science or the Indian question
or experience — whatever it was — a change in sentiment
was developed, and the bottle in the closet was considered
more^in the light of a questionable indulgence than a so-
4
268 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
cial necessity. This opinion invaded the Indian Depart-
ment of the government, and the laws of the United
States forbade the sale of liquor to Indians. It was also
forbidden to manufacture whiskey in the Indian country.
This regulation of the department was alike for the
good of the native man, who, when intoxicated, sold his
furs for a fishhook, and for the welfare of the white trap-
per who did the same. It was intended also to save lives
of both races. That was plain enough ; but that the sale
or gift of liquor on the British side of our boundary should
have the effect to ruin the rich and powerful American
company on our side, was not at the first glance so ap-
parent to every one. That was the danger that threat-
ened the company, however, when the tribes near the line
were drawn away from their allegiance to the Americans
by the rum allowed them on the British side. Driven to
despair, the agent at Fort Union erected a still, but being
betrayed by an employee was compelled to resort to fic-
tion of the most yellow complexion and finally to abandon
his manufacture.
The other companies south of the Missouri who carried
their goods in trains from the mouth of the Platte, and
who had no headquarters, experienced the same, or even
greater difficulties, having to outwit the keen-eyed agents
at Fort Leavenworth, where their cargoes underwent in-
spection.
The companies' chiefs, while they honestly admitted
and deplored the evil that liquor worked to white men
and Indians, could not prevent traders from the British
territory bringing it across the line, nor could they resist
the temptation to use the stuff to get the better of a rival
of their own nationality. Hence, the trapper went about
his business with his alcohol bottle as regularly as the
soldier with his canteen, to the horror and indignation of
the missionary traveler in the mountains. In time the
CHITTENDEN'S FUR TRADE. 269
British traders were instructed by the London board of
management to stop the sale of liquor to Indians, and the
practice was abolished. It is a curious fact, however,
that the first successful application of a prohibitory liquor
]aw was in the Indian country and among fur traders.
Captain Chittenden has given a very good catalogue
of Indian tribal names, but I more than suspect that it
would be impossible at this date to obtain from any
source a perfectly correct notion of these family names
or of their significance, least of all of their spelling and
pronunciation. Observe the spelling of Lewis and Clark
and the endless variations from their standard by subse-
quent travelers and writers. Observe, also, how fre-
quently the Indians on the Clearwater River, in Idaho,
are divided and subdivided, passing usually under the
name of Nez Perces, but answering to Flathead, Sahap-
tin, and Chopunnish about equally well. The Snake or
Shoshone tribe has also several names, one, that of Les
Serpents, evidently French.
Let me close by mentioning in the American fur trade
some of the most familiar names after Astor. Saint Louis
being the starting point of trading expeditions furnished
most of the leaders and partners, among whom were
Choteau, Henry, Lisa, Pratt, Ashley, Fontenelle, Bent,
St. Vrain, Sarpy, Smith, Sublette, Jackson, Campbell,
Farnham, Fitzpatrick, Bridger, Pilcher, Carson, Walker,
Williams, Tulloch, Vanderburg, with many others ; and
Wyeth and Bonneville. The work, which is in three
volumes, with map and illustrations, is rich in biogra-
phies. As an introduction to, or an accompaniment of
the history of the settlement of the Northwest, Captain
Chittenden's book is invaluable.
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
Captain Chittenden was born October 25, 1858, in Weston, N. Y. He came of
good stock, being descended from William Chittenden of Guilford, Conn., whose
descendants have furnished many men to the official positions of their country.
270 FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
After graduating from the high school of Weston, he taught for several terms to
help himself through college; went from Cornell to West Point; graduated third
in class of 1884, and was assigned to the engineer corps. For three years he served
at Willett's Point, New York Harbor; three years at Omaha, Neb., in the Depart-
ment of the Platte, and in charge of works on the Upper Missouri; two years
in charge of government work in Yellowstone National Park; two years on gov-
ernment work at Louisville, Ky.; one year in charge of surveys for routes be-
tween Lake Erie and the Ohio River; three years secretary of the Missouri River
Commission, and in charge of surveys for reservoirs in the arid regions. Since
1899 he has been in charge of works on the Upper Missouri, and in the Yellow-
stone National Park, writing a book upon the Park, its history and notable nat-
ural features; and also an exhaustive report upon the practicability of storage
reservoirs in the arid regions; the Reservoir System of the Great Lakes; the rela-
tion of the government to the conservation of the waste flood of streams, and
numerous articles on professional subjects in current periodicals.
During the war with Spain he served as chief engineer of the Fourth Army
Corps. He designed and erected the Mowrey obelisk, at Sioux City, in memory
of Sergt. Charles Floyd of the Lewis and Clark expedition; and is still engaged in
government work in Yellowstone Park while pursuing his plans for furnishing
water to the arid lands on both sides of the Rocky Mountains. Meanwhile, he is
laying out some further historical work interesting to Oregon.
FRANCES FULLER VICTOR.
The history of Oregon, as it is pursued more defi-
nitely and is traced to its sources and details, becomes a
study of families quite as much as of localities or of
tendencies. Without royalty or nobility or hereditary
titles Americans have yet developed family traits and
characteristics more strongly than other people, and no
where is this more noticeable than in our own Oregon.
A family name is already well recognized here as indi-
cating a certain type of man. This may be due in part
to the considerable proportion of Englishmen among
the early pioneers, who brought with them not only
strong racial, but also family characteristics. It is
quite noticeable, too, that when once here the English-
men became most sturdy and radical Americans. Among
the well-known families of Oregon is that of the Jorys,
who crossed the plains to Oregon in 1847. The family
home is in Marion County, south of Salem, among the
Red Hills, which have become famous as a prune-grow-
ing country.
James Jory, Sr., the founder of the Oregon family,
and perhaps the first of the name to come to America,
was a carpenter and mechanic of Cornwall, England,
being a son of James Jory, gamekeeper and gardener
on an English estate. He was married about 1812 to
Mary Stevens in St. Clear Parish. There were two
daughters and six sons reared in this family. The
daughters were Mary and Elizabeth, and the sons John,
James, Henry, Thomas, William, and H. S., all except
the last born in England.
272 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
This English family, however, had various causes for
dissatisfaction with conditions as thev then existed in
*/
the mother country. For one, there was a parish law
that children must be bound out to a master at the age
of nine years. This gave great opportunity for men
desiring laborers to secure such children as they might
select, even from families preferring to rear their chil-
dren at home. A native love of liberty very strong
with the English made them restive for a country not
hampered with petty restrictions, and where opportunity
was equal to ambition. Such, of course, America was
understood to be.
It is interesting to note in what way this family ob-
tained the means to cross the ocean. This was done by
a little shrewd management beyond the ordinary savings
of days' work. "A large half acre" near the family home
was rented at a low figure. This had been spoiled for
ordinary use by the prospecting of tin miners, who had
dug it into pits, and thrown the gravel over the soil. By
much careful work, from year to year, however, the
mud, or fine earth collected in the pits was thrown out,
and the gravel was placed back. The larger boulders or
rocks were used to construct a good stone building. In
course of time the piece was restored to its original con-
dition and fertility, with soil on top and gravel under-
side, and was placed in good tilth as a garden patch. As
the lease was at a low rate, and for a long time — "three
lives," — this became quite a valuable property, and upon
sale realized enough to pay the passage across the At-
lantic.
Passage was taken upon an old lumber ship coming to
Saint Johns, New Brunswick. Water was declared short
toward the close of the voyage, and the passengers were
placed on allowance, but this was discovered to be a nauti-
cal fabrication, simply to avoid tapping the casks, or com-
H. S. LYMAN. 273
partments, that carried the ballast which was fresh water.
A home was made on land taken some forty miles up the
Saint John River, where tracts of fifty acres were open
to public entry, such a tract, and ten acres by purchase
constituted, the farm . This was a region of young timber,
in a country swept some time previously by a great fire,
such as is periodical in all timbered countries.
After several years of farming poor soil it was decided
to return to Saint John, and here work in the ship yards
was undertaken. The father was a master mechanic,
and the older boys, John and James, were able to give
valuable assistance in running the whipsaw — getting out
necessary birch, white pine, and spruce timbers for ships'
knees and other particular work. It was learned here,
however, that land was better and more abundant, and
conditions were generally better in Upper Canada. It
was decided therefore to use the earnings of the family
to remove thither. Passage was taken to New York,
with the intention of going thence by the Erie canal to
their destination ; but once on the soil of the United
States this industrious family was not to be let off. At
New York they were made acquainted with an old gen-
tleman from Missouri, who described his state as in everv
«/
way better country than Canada. It happened also that
the boat on which they were to start to Upper Canada
was delayed, and it was decided to go to Missouri instead.
The route chosen was by water ; going first to New Or-
leans by a sailing vessel, and from New Orleans to Saint
Louis by steamboat — a side wheeler, named the George
Collier. Saint Louis was still a frontier town, but the
leading point in the West.
It was just before Christmas that the Jorys arrived,
and they found work for the winter on the large farm,
or plantation, of a leading citizen, Col. John O'Fallon.
The father was employed in repairs on the buildings
274 REMINISCENCES OP JAMES JORY.
and putting in a crop, while the four boys old enough
for work built fences. There were negro slaves on the
farm, but they were not severely taxed with work, and
seemed happy and contented, and liked their master.
However, James Jory, Sr., did not like the slave system,
and James, the son, recalls with what a shock he re-
flected that the negro who came to convey their baggage
from the city to the farm was the property of a master,
the same as the oxen which he drove.
It was partly for this reason that it was decided to
move over into Illinois, across the Mississippi River,
into Pike Countv, of that state, where the land wras also
v *
found to be good, and an abundance was still open for
settlement. Land was very cheap, being obtained by
sale of tax titles, or use of soldiers' or other warrants.
The Jorys bought of the government 40 acres of the
richest of land, partly prairie and partly timbered.
This was in the fall of 1837.
Here they remained nearly ten years, James Jory, Jr.,
buying the place of his father, who removed to a farm
in Brown County, some 40 miles away.
On March 12, 1846, James Jory, Jr., was married to
Sarah Budd, daughter of Aaron and Phoebe Ogden Budd.
This lady, who has shared equally with her husband in the
work and privations experienced in building up a com-
monwealth on the Pacific Coast, belonged to an old Ameri-
can family, her grandfather Budd having been a soldier in
the War of Independence, and her father a resident of
Duchess County, New York, until removing to Illinois
at an early date. On the side of her mother, who was
Phoebe Ogden, she was also of revolutionary stock ; so
that the Jory family in Oregon embraces both the strains
of the independent working class of west England and
the original American of the Atlantic States.
H. S. LYMAN. 275
James Jory, who was thus married at the age of 26,
had a place of his own in one of the most productive
sections of Illinois, and was in good prospect of acquir-
ing a substantial competence ; but he could not but
mark the sad results of the malaria prevalent in the
country upon the breaking of the prairies. He noticed
that the universal fever and ague proved particularly
debilitating to young married women, who easily fell
victims to other disorders after being weakened by this
malady ; and like a thoughtful husband began to con-
sider removal to a more healthful country. The matter
was talked over first with his wife and afterward with
his father and brothers, and as a consequence it was
decided to sell out and go to Oregon the next spring.
Mr. Jory with his young wife prepared to start from
their own place and join the rest of the family at Inde-
pendence, Mo. Being a practical mechanic, he made it
his first concern to have a suitable wagon. For $50 he
purchased the running gear of a vehicle that had been
made out of green timber, and had shrunk so as to be
considered unserviceable ; but this he saw was just the
thing, as it could be tightened all around and would best
endure a trip across the drouth-stricken plains. For
this he constructed a box, which should serve all pur-
poses of living as well as of travel, or might be used as
a flatboat in case of necessity. Around the sides and
through a partition three or four feet from the front end
augur holes were bored, and a piece above the end gate
at the rear was likewise perforated, and through these a
bed cord was run in the old fashion, and thus was con-
structed a comfortable spring bed. Underneath there
was space for provisions, tools and other necessary
traveling articles. Substantial bows were fitted above
and a cover of double thickness of canvas was drawn
over this. Double canvas proved much more comfort-
276 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
able than the single canvas painted, of which some
covers were made. The provisions consisted of seven
sacks of flour, and an abundance of bacon, which was
made from a phenomenally fat corn-fed porker ; also
dried pease, beans and fruit ; gunpowder and garden
seeds were prudently added. Much valuable informa-
tion in regard to Oregon was obtained from letters of
Rev. E. E. Parrish, who came to Oregon in 1844, and
writing East gave very favorable descriptions of the
mild and healthful climate and the advantages of stock
raising, where cattle might browse or pasture twelve
months of the year.
At Independence Mr. Jory did not find his father, or
brothers as anticipated, but with his younger brother,
who was with him from the first, drove on to the Kaw
River. At this point about eighty or one hundred wagons
had collected and were waiting to form a regular organi-
zation. It was soon learned that these were too many for
one company, and two were therefore formed. Of the
part to which Mr. Jory belonged Joseph Magone was
elected captain. Magone was from New York, an un-
married man, young, handsome, and deservedly popular.
He had hired his passage with the train, and was out for
an adventure, but when it was represented that he was
the best man for captain, being free-handed and well-
informed, he set aside personal considerations and ac-
cepted. He proved to be one of the best emigrant captains
ever on the Plains, alert, cheerful, watchful of the needs
of every one, and promising all that he would see the
last one through safely to the banks of the Willamette,
and he most bravely redeemed his promise. Indeed,
nothing now seems to Mr. and Mrs. Jory more noteworthy
of that whole trip across the continent than the value and
delight of association and practical brotherhood. Except
H. S. LYMAN. 277
for this the journey could never have been made by fam-
ilies, or Oregon occupied with an American population.
It was customary, says Mr. Jory, to elect a captain by
"standing up on sides," and being then counted off, aim-
ing to be fair and democratic, and give every one a chance
to show his preference, as so interestingly described in the
file of the New Orleans Picayune found by Doctor Wilson.
In the case of Joseph Magone there was no need of this ;
it was all one side for him. Magone was married after
reaching Oregon to a Miss Tomlinson that he met on the
Plains ; and long afterwards, indeed after the railroad
was built, illustrated his original love of adventure by
walking back East for a visit.
One of his memorable pleasantries occurred at the time
the first buffalo was killed on the Plains. This was a fine
young heifer and was shot by Magone. He came back
to camp and invited the men to go out and each take a
piece. There was a little hesitation, no one wishing to
show greed where all were so anxious. "Come, come,'
said Magone, "don't be bashful; the best-looking man
start first.' But this started no one ; "Well, then,' he
said, "the man with the best-looking wife come first;'
and there was a general rush. That first buffalo was con-
sidered the best meat tasted on the trip. This party did
not see many of the buffalo herds, being too early, as the
animals had gone north. The later emigrants of that
season, however, described them as occurring "in clouds'
upon the prairie.
It was considered something of a joke on Magone,
being a bachelor, that no less than five times he was
obliged to give the order to halt the train a day on ac-
count of the birth of a child. These were in the fami-
lies of Mr. Watts, Nelson, one of the Knightons, and of
Mr. Jory. This latter was the oldest child, a daughter,
who was born on Burnt River. There was no regular
278 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
medical attendance, but with such care as the women of
the train could render each other there was no difficulty.
As the train proceeded westward, as" in the case of all,
it was broken up into several smaller companies of eight
or ten wagons each, those wishing to travel at about the
same rate of speed naturally going together, and the
danger of Indians being considered small as they reached
the Pacific Slope. It was understood that the Nez Perces
and their allies were friendly to the whites, as was indeed
the case, and but for the friendship of these truly rare
native Americans the scattered and weakened bands of
immigrants might easily have been cut off. It must be
remembered that there was not a United States soldier
stationed in Oregon until 1848. Even through the Cayuse
troubles and the later Indian wars the Nez Perces have
been unvarying friends of the whites.
As to Indians, Captain Magone's company had very
little to do. Some of the Kaws appeared early on the
journey, and were great beggars. One of them was given
by Mrs. Jory what she considered a generous piece of
light bread, as he claimed that he was desperately hun-
gry. But no sooner was this offered than he opened his
blankets, showing a much larger piece of biscuits, which
he intended as an object lesson of the size and kind of
bread he wanted. On another occasion, somewhere in
the Blue Mountains, an Indian felt a curiosity to exam-
ine the interior of the Nelson wagon, where there was a
young baby. By the irate Nelson, who resented the in-
decorum, the young brave was severely lashed with the
oxwhip, much to his discomfiture, but to the great amuse-
ment of the assembled Indians and immigrants. Such
punishment is regarded by the Indians as a great joke ;
but killing an Indian is, or was, a very serious matter.
The thievish, but still good-natured side of the Indian
disposition is well illustrated by the following incident
H. S. LYMAN. 279
related by Mr. Jory : Before making a long drive over
dry country to Green River, the immigrants found it
necessary to lay in a supply of water. While busy filling
his water keg he noticed two Indians standing close to-
gether by his wagon, evidently engaged in some small
mischief. Slyly watching them he went on filling his
keg until he thought it time to interfere. Going up to
them he found that the Indian furthest from him, and
partly concealed by the other, had removed from the
wagon bed a screw which held the wagon cover down
in one place. Pointing to the empty screw hole Mr.
Jory demanded the return of the stolen article. It was
promptly presented in the Indian's open palm. Mr. Jory
then ordered by signs that he should turn the screw back
into the proper place. This the Indian tried to do, but,
using his butcher knife awkwardly, was making but sorry
headway, but readily lent Mr. Jory the knife and received
it meekly when the screw was properly restored. The
crestfallen culprit was compelled to endure the humilia-
tion of a very hearty horselaugh from his equally virtu-
ous companion. Thus theft was not condemned, but a
bungling and unsuccessful attempt at stealing was the
object of extravagant ridicule.
Another incident of somewhat similar import came to
Mr. Jory's notice at Fort Laramie, on the South Platte.
The train was making a short stay for repairs. Sioux
Indians in considerable numbers, with their ponies and
half wolf dogs, were gathered about the fort. While
one of the emigrants was greasing his wagon, watched
by a number of Indians, the wagon hammer suddenly
disappeared. An Indian was seen walking quickly
away with his blanket drawn tightly about him. When
about 50 yards off he was brought to a halt by a per-
emptory order from the owner, " Bring back that wagon
hammer!' Turning about the Indian denied the theft
280 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JURY.
and opened and shook out his blanket in proof of his
innocence, and then hurried on. The owner, only half
convinced, went to the place where the Indian stood,
and found the hammer on the ground.
The following shows one of the practical difficulties of
company travel, and an intelligent solution reached' by
the emigrants. When Captain Magone's train reached
Scott's Bluff, it was found that the rate of travel was
too slow. The chief cause of the trouble was that some
of the company who were bringing with them a con-
siderable number of cattle, were careless, or had com-
mitted their stock to irresponsible herders, and allowed
them to stray too far from camp, or to fall out by the
way, as many of them, being footsore, were much in-
clined to do ; and so it happened that each morning
when the time to start came, much valuable time had to
be wasted in hunting the missing stock.
The captain's scheme for finding a remedy well illus-
trated his wisdom and resourcefulness. Calling the
company together and laying the gravity of the situa-
tion before them, he invited each man wrho had a plan
to step out of line and state his plan to the company ;
and all who approved the plan proposed were to come
forward and stand with its author until counted — a
majority vote being necessary to adopt any plan. When
several plans had been successively rejected, Mr. Jory,
who had the reputation of being the quietest man in the
company, came forward and proposed a plan which met
with hearty approval. The plan embraced the follow-
ing provisions : First, each owner of stock must care-
fully count his animals in the evening on reaching camp
before turning them out to graze ; second, he must bring
into camp and count them again early each morning ;
third, if any cattle proved missing in the morning that
were known to have been present on the previous even-
H. S. LYMAN. 281
ing, the company was bound to make diligent search for
them before moving on ; but if any of those found
missing in the morning were not known to have been
present the previous evening the company should not be
delayed to search for them. Thus the loss of time con-
sequent upon searching at one camping place for stock
that might have been missed for several days would be
avoided. After a little friction, which spent its force in
two or three days, the plan was found to work admir-
ably ; and Mr. Jory, now nearly 82 years old, recalls
with just pride the success of his first and only public
address. This incident shows also the strong hold
which the principle of majority rule had taken on the
minds of early pioneers, and its entire competency to
deal with questions far more difficult than those encoun-
tering military enterprises.
Although having heard of the friendliness of the Cay-
uses, Mr. Jory saw things on the • Umatilla and met
treatment that led him to distrust them. Among others
there was a Catholic priest that crossed the Blue Moun-
tains with his train. He was met on the Umatilla by
the Cayuses, one of whom made a long speech. Of course
this was not understood by Jory, except that the name
of Whitman was repeated a number of times, and each
time the Cayuse would take hold of the large crucifix
that hung from the priest's belt and make the motion of
wringing it in pieces and throwing it down, and showing
great rage. This Mr. Jory understood as a description
of what the Cayuse considered the disposition of Whit-
man toward the Catholic religion.
However, as he heard that his father and brothers
were on the way, being so informed by three young men
that were hastening forward and overtook him, he de-
cided to camp on the Umatilla and wait for them.
While camping here he found one morning that his
282 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
oxen were missing. But looking in the distance he saw
them down on the bottoms, and hastened to get them ;
but saw that an Indian was driving them. He quickly
asked, "Are you stealing my cattle?'1 "Heap water,'
replied the Cayuse, meaning that he was simply driving
them to water, and also at once demanded a shirt as pay
for his service. Jory at once refused pay, as he could
himself water his cattle ; and pointed out, too, that one
was missing. "No one ox,' ' the Indian maintained, but
allowed Mr. Jory to drive the cattle to camp. After
some further search and before camp was reached the
missing "one ox'! was found. But next day the same
Indian reappeared and demanded a shirt. Jory again
refused, and the Indian became very threatening, declar-
ing, by signs, that he would kill him. After some fur-
ther parley, Jory tried to settle the trouble by offering
him some powder, about half the quantity in his powder-
horn, but the Indian spurned the offer. Mr. Jory then
emptied the horn for him, by carefully turning it up and
shaking out all the powder. The Indian was then well
pleased, and left doubtless thinking that no powder was
left for defense. From all this Mr. Jorv concluded that
V
the Cay uses were troublesome and treacherous, and
would have been glad to be out of their country, but
felt the necessity of remaining until his father and
brothers arrived, as he had some of their cattle, and had,
according to their instructions, sold them, and thought
it not improbable that they would need the proceeds in
order to reach Willamette Valley. As soon, therefore,
as the Indian was gone he refilled his powderhorn from
a keg concealed in the wagon, and saw to it that his
rifle was loaded and in prime order.
As for others on the road that year, Mr. Jory particu-
larly recalls Seth Luelling, who passed and repassed
many times, with his little nursery of grafted fruit trees.
H. S. LYMAN. 283
On the Umatilla Mr. Jory also met with Doctor Whit-
man. He remembers him as a plain man of medium size
and direct manner and speech. The Doctor had been
with a party of immigrants showing them a route to The
Dalles by the John Day, keeping along the foothills rather
than taking the old route through the heavy sands along
the Columbia. He also gave Mr. Jory the directions,
telling him that without very heavy grades this hill route
would afford them abundant water and good grass, as well
as avoiding the sands.
The Jorys, the remainder of the family having now come
up, and meeting James Jory and his family at the Uina-
tilla, came by this route to The Dalles . At this point they
built flatboats, preferring to come down the Columbia
rather than attempt the snow-covered route over the Cas-
cades. About forty boats were built at The Dalles that
year, from the pine trees along the shore of the Columbia.
At The Dalles Captain Magone still stayed by his party,
to see that the last one got through. He had, indeed,
made all the young men promise that they would stay by
the families until all were at their journey's end. There
were some, however, that never came through. A family
named Wilcox contracted the measles early on the way,
and owing to exposure in looking after cattle in the rain,
the entire family, except two girls and a little boy, died.
A family named Rydenhour also, with the exception of
one boy, died of the same. Measles were general that
year on the Plains, and, as is well known, were the
occasion of the outbreak against Whitman that occurred
late in the autumn, the Cayuses contracting the disease
from the immigrants, and becoming terrorized at a plague
which they could not control.
A man by the name of Koontz was drowned on the
Snake River. He was crossing cattle at the ferry, and
284 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
seeing one with crumpled horns caught on the cable went
out to unloose the animal. He was a jovial man, and to
his wife who cautioned him to be careful, he made the
laughing rejoinder, "If I was born to be drowned I won't
be hanged, and if born to be hanged, I'll never be
drowned.' Reaching the place where the ox was en-
tangled he jumped from the boat, swimming towards the
animal, but miscalculating the current was carried be-
low, and was caught in a whirlpool and went down.
Persons from the Mississippi Valley were very much de-
ceived in the waters of the Columbia or Snake, which are
very much lighter [clearer] than those to which they are
accustomed, and also colder, and with stronger currents
and more dangerous eddies. Magone himself was nearly
drawn down into a whirlpool of the Snake, and only
was saved by resting for a time on the edge until he re-
covered strength to break away.
The widow of Koontz was made a special care by Ma-
gone, who brought her chest of goods himself in a boat
from The Dalles to the cascades, and with Mr. Jory car-
ried it over the portage at the cascades, slung on a pole
between the two.
The Jorys all reached Oregon in safety, and coming
into the Willamette Valley looked about for a home.
They were struck with the attractive little settlement at
Salem, and the advantages of church and school. The
choice lay between this and the yet unoccupied prairies
of the Santiam, and above Albany. There the land
seemed better, but the other attractions, and the fact
also that in the hills near Salem the prospect of health
seemed better than on the prairie, outweighed in the
decision, and all took claims together about six or eight
miles from the present capital. This was in the land of
oak trees, and the Father Jory having seen such timber
in England believed that the soil would prove fertile.
H. S. LYMAN. 285
The sons, however, never expected to farm, except along
the narrow creek bottoms ; but the open oak groves and
endless hills offered great scope for cattle range. As a
matter of fact, however, the hills have proved the best
of wheat land, and have now become still more valuable
for fruit and prune raising. " The Jory settlement " is
now in the very region where there are great orchards
crowning the hills, and where fruit driers are as con-
spicuous as the hop houses of French Prairie. The
donation land claim of John Jory has been divided into
small fruit-raising tracts, and H. S. Jory, the youngest
brother, has become well known as the inventor and
maker of one of the most serviceable fruit driers in use.
While, however, the Jorys have been agriculturists in
Oregon, their tastes have been mechanical, reverting to
the original occupation of their grandfather and father.
H. S. Jory, of South Salem, has invented and patented
the " Oregon Fruit Dryer,' and an ingenious harrow-
hinge ; Henry Jory, who died in Marysville, California,
and his son, James W., eaclr invented and patented a
swivel plow. John W. and Arthur, sons of James Jory,
invented and patented a wheat header ; T. C. and John
W., sons of James Jory, of this sketch, invented and
patented a grain separator. Thomas C. Jory, who was
for some time Professor of Mathematics at Willamette
University, Salem, where he graduated, also invented
and presented for patent a machine for converting recip-
rocal into rotary motion, avoiding the "dead points;'
but was preceded by Westinghouse, of the celebrated air-
brake apparatus. These items are of interest as show-
ing a still larger truth, that probably half the young
men of Oregon, at least among those at school, devote
much of their leisure time in planning practical inven-
tions in mechanics, and of the many who do not succeed
in producing a tangible result the case is not so much
286 REMINISCENCES OF JAMES JORY.
lack of practical skill as the intense rivalry of others at
more central points. Oregon alone could furnish enough
inventors to supply the world if the race of Fulton and
Edison should fail elsewhere !
The Jorys have been a prolific family in Oregon, the
oldest son, John, who married Caroline Budd, having a
family of ten children ; James, who married Sarah A.
Budd, a sister of Caroline, eleven children ; Thomas, of
South Salem, who married Katharine Leabo, seven
children ; William, who married Jane Moore, four chil-
dren ; and H. Stevens, of South Salem, who married
May Budd, still another sister of Caroline and Sarah A.,
five children. Thomas C. Jory, well known over the
entire state as an educator and an advanced thinker on
political and social matters, lives upon a part of the old
donation claim, in a locality of ideal Oregon beauty,
with his family of wife and three children.
The Grandfather Jory, who came to America and
then with his sons to Oregon, is said to have thought
himself the last of his race ; but besides the numerous
family founded by himself in Oregon and in California,
it is now known that there are also many other Jorys in
different parts of the United States and England.
H. S. LYMAN.
By JANE KINNEY SMITH, of Astoria.
The following are personal recollections in regard to
one of the most worthy and beneficent of all the pioneers
of Oregon, Mrs. Tabitha Brown, whose school at Forest
Grove formed the nucleus of the academy founded later
by Rev. Harvey Clark, and Dr. G. H.Atkinson, and was
extended still later by Dr. S. H. Marsh into a college
with an outlook and endowment warranting the name
university.
It is expected later to present a paper touching more
fully upon the entire life of Mrs. Brown, which will be
prepared by Mrs. Mary Strong Kinney of Astoria, Mrs.
Kinney being a great granddaughter of Mrs. Brown.
The recollections of Mrs. Smith, however, who was an
inmate in Mrs. Brown's schoolhouse, are of unusual in-
terest, and in accordance with the views of all writers
on history, we should fail as collectors of historical facts
unless we placed on record where possible all that may
be obtained of the pioneer characters. Mrs. Smith is a
daughter of Robert Crouch Kinney, who was well known
all over Oregon in the early day as a pioneer farmer and
fruit grower in Yamhill County ; and later as the pio-
neer export manufacturer of flour from Salem. Jane
Kinney was but ten years old when coming to Oregon,
with her father's family, but remembers many details of
the journey across the plains, one of the most exciting
occasions being in the Umatilla country when two young
Indians rode alongside a daughter of Samuel Kinney,
288 JANE KINNEY SMITH.
Robert's brother, and lifted her from the saddle as if to
kidnap the girl ; but were suddenly brought to time by a
blow from the butt end of the father's oxwhip. This
chastisement of the saucy young braves nearly precipi-
tated a general quarrel, but it was finally settled.
The Barlow road had recently been opened and it was
by this that these immigrants came into the Willamette
Valley, and they soon found unoccupied land of excellent
quality and sufficient for donation claims for both Robert
and Samuel. This was at the head of Wapato Lake, and
at the foot of Chehalem Mountain, then one of the best
range countries in the world.
Robert Kinney was from Muscatine, in Iowa, and had
been engaged in business, and besides being a foremost
man in enterprise, was one of the most considerate of
fathers. One of his first cares was to find educational
advantages for his large family of girls and boys. In
1848 there were no public schools yet established in Ore-
gon, and the country was much agitated over the Cayuse
war, just closed, and the gold mines just discovered in
California. Nevertheless Oregon had a number of mis-
sion schools. The Catholic school at St. Paul, and the
Methodist mission school at Salem, and a school well
attended on Clatsop Plains, were of the number ; but
Mr. Kinney was glad to learn that there was another still
nearer home, at what was then called West Tualatin, but
thirteen miles from Chehalem Mountain. Finding that
this bore an excellent reputation, and that charges were
extremely moderate, he decided to take his daughter to
Mother Brown's boarding school. Of such an institu-
tion Jane, although but a girl of eleven, had rather an
exalted opinion and was prepared for something quite
remarkable.
It was some time in May or June of 1848 that her
father brought her down from the farm, and she was
MRS. TABITHA BROWN. 289
greatly impressed with the beauty of the place, soon
named Forest Grove. The location is striking, and in
the early days, before there had been brought about the
changes incident to settlement, it possessed a romantic
charm that is now lacking. The slightly elevated site,
which is divided by a small run, or swale, was orna-
mented with an exceptionally handsome grove of oak
trees, amid which rose an occasional group of firs, the
whole area being open and clean and well grassed. It
was a natural park, and while bearing on the first glance
the impress of nature only, had also that simulation to
man's most artistic planning that startles one with the
thought that surely some one must have made it. Through
the vistas of oak trees appeared to the north and east
broad level prairies, or plains, edged with evergreen
forests, and the horizon, at a long distance, was deline-
ated underneath by the line of the Blue Mountain ranges,
surmounted by the snow peaks. A fine appreciation of
natural beauty is very distinctly marked in all the early
pioneers and their children, and is very different from
the vulgar raptures of the real estate dealer, who "writes
up" our lovely scenery from the purely speculative point
of view. The deterioration is to be regretted.
Arriving shortly before noon, Jane and her father
were invited first of all to dine. The house was a log
cabin, underneath some fine oaks, and was at no great
distance from another of the same pattern, occupied by
Rev. H. H. Spaldiug. These were afterwards con-
nected, Grandma Brown's school requiring additional
room. Mrs. Smith remembers the meal as a substantial
boiled dinner of beef and vegetables, and very abundant^
Meat was furnished regularly to the school by one of the
patrons, a pioneer named Black, whose three boys were
in attendance. Large bands of cattle were already
owned by the settlers. Grandma Brown also had a fine
290 JANE KINNEY SMITH.
kitchen garden as time went on, and provided early
vegetables. The girl was also impressed with the neat-
ness and tastefulness of the table. There was a white
cloth ; and the sugar bowls, salt cellars and spoonholders,
which were made of cardboard, were neatly covered with
fancy calico. Mrs. Smith also tells how she remembered
the time of the year. It was when wild strawberries
were ripe, and in the afternoon the girls were given
some cups and told that they might gather berries.
They did so, the wild fruit growing in great abundance
and of luscious flavor; all except the new girl. She,
thinking this was a boarding school, did not know why
she should pick strawberries. But at supper she found
she was the only one who had none to eat.
Mrs. Brown, however, at once made her at home, and
indeed made her a companion, sharing with her her own
room. Mrs. Brown was known as Grandma to all the
pupils. She was even then an elderly woman, past
sixty years of age. In person she was small and slight,
not weighing over 108 pounds. She also walked with a
cane, one of her limbs being weakened from paralysis.
Above a delicate face, with blue eyes, there was gray
hair ; yet in manner and expression she was always
young, and made herself a companion rather than a dis-
ciplinarian. She often told Mrs. Smith of her trip across
the Plains. She was from the East, and of a cultivated
family, who were in good circumstances. She had
married an Episcopal minister, who died early, leaving
her a family of two boys and one girl. With these she
went at an early day to Missouri, and there opened a
school, making of it a success both educationally and
financially. However, she decided to come to Oregon,
partly, perhaps, on account of an uncle of her husband's,
a Captain Brown, who was very old, but believed a trip
to Oregon would prolong his life. The trip was made
MRS. TABITHA BROWN. 291
in 1846, and the latter part of the way by the Applegate
route, by the Umpqua Valley into the Willamette.
This proved very severe, and Mrs. Brown was compelled
to come alone over the Cascades with the old captain,
whom she expected might die of exhaustion at any
moment. For several nights she camped alone in the
mountains, or ''worse than alone,' as she said, not
daring to sleep, but to watch by the fire to keep the wild
animals away and take care of her charge.
Once arrived at Salem she was entirely destitute, not
having even a cent left ; but one day, placing her hand
in an old glove, she felt a coin. It proved to be a pica-
yune. The glove suggested an idea. With the picayune
she bought three buckskin needles, and with a dress
bought deerskins of the Indians and made men's gloves.
Selling these she invested the proceeds in more mate-
rials, and was soon doing a good business making and
selling these articles. Becoming acquainted she was
invited by some of the missionary families to their homes.
She paid a visit first to W. W. Raymond's, in the spring
of 1847, on Clatsop Plains, and afterwards to Rev. Har-
vey Clark's, at West Tualatin or Forest Grove. One
day, riding with Mr. Clark and noticing the fine situa-
tion where the Pacific University campus now is, she
said that this was the place for a school. Mr. Clark
readily fell in with the idea, but feared that there would
be no one to conduct the necessary boarding department.
Mrs. Brown offered to do this herself, and opened a home
for pupils of all ages, herself acting as teacher until
others were found.
Mr. Clark, who had come to Oregon as an independent
missionary, and was one of the most benevolent and
generous of men, both in sentiment and action, had
already with his wife, conducted a school on the East
Tualatin Plain, in the neighborhood of the settlement of
292 JANE KINNEY SMITH.
the old American Rocky-mountain men, Meek, Wilkins,
Ebbarts, and Walker. He now owned the present site
of Forest Grove, and being assured that Mrs. Brown
would and could successfully carry out the plan of an
educational institution, gladly welcomed this as the op-
portunity. It is noteworthy that this plan was in line
with a suggestion of Doctor Whitman's, that as the
United States Government would undoubtedly confirm
the act of the Provisional Government of Oregon, granting
a square mile of land to each family, there was a great
opportunity open for Christian familes to form colonies
and acquire contiguous claims, and donate sufficient of
their lands to establish schools. It is not improbable
that Mr. Clark, as well as Mr. A. T. Smith, who were
intimate friends of Whitman, and Rev. Elkanah Walker,
who was an associate, were fully acquainted with this
plan for schools. At all events this was the plan fol-
lowed at Forest Grove ; and Tualatin Academy, after-
wards united with Pacific University, received its first
endowment in land from the donation claims of the set-
tlers there. Mr. Clark gave one half his donation land
claim.
While the school was not intended as a charity the terms
were so reasonable that any could attend, being but a
dollar per week, including board and tuition. As was
natural in the case of immigrants just crossing the
Plains, there were men with families of children, left
alone by the death of the mother. Some of these were
placed in school at Mother Brown's. During her first
term at the school Mrs. Smith recalls the following as in
attendance : Eliza Spalding, who with her parents had
recently come from the scenes of the Whitman massacre,
and could tell stories only too heartrending of that sad
affair ; Mary Ann Butts and several younger children of
the same family ; a Miss Kimsay, usually so styled, though
MRS. TABITHA BROWN. 293
but a girl of twelve ; the three boys of William Black ;
Emeline Stuart, later Mrs. Lee Laughlin, the banker of
McMinnville, and Mrs. Brown's two granddaughters,
Teresa and Caroline, the former becoming Mrs. Zachary,
and the latter Mrs. Robert Porter. These two grand-
daughters assisted in the housework, although Mrs. Brown
herself conducted all household affairs personally.
Mrs. Brown was exceedingly quiet and cheerful in her
ways and Mrs. Smith can not recollect a single case of in-
subordination or discipline, so orderly arid intelligent was
"Grandma's" management. All the various household
affairs were punctually ordered, meals being on time, and
retiring and getting up in the morning promptly observed.
At dusk Mrs. Brown would call the children in from their
play, and arranging themselves at their seats they re-
peated together an evening prayer. In the morning,
especially Sundays, she would waken her household by
singing, and as her voice was still sw^eet and strong, and
her singing good, this made the children feel cheerful all
the week. This lady was also something of a mechanic,
and contrived many little conveniences, one being a clay-
made oven, which was the admiration of the neighbor-
hood ; having been constructed by simply a wooden frame-
work, of proper size, over which was placed a sufficiency
of well-mixed clay, after which the woodwork was burned
out, and other fuel added until the clay was hardened
into something like brick.
All the holidays were properly observed, and Mrs.
Brown took as much interest as the children in seeing
that suitable dresses were provided for the girls. The
matter of cloth for gay clothes was not an easy one to
arrange. The dress goods in the territory were still
mostly obtained from the Hudson Bay stores, and their
trade was still mostly calculated for native taste, the white
women often found it difficult to get what they wanted.
294 JANE KINNEY SMITH.
Mrs. Smith well remembers how her new dress was spoiled
for her. It was the custom of the company's clerks to
lay out a large bolt of print goods, for instance, and sell
only from this until it was disposed of. The only avail-
able calico for the girl's new school dress was from a piece
with a strikingly large figure ; but great was her disgust
to find on entering the schoolroom that her teacher, a
young man, had a school coat made from the same bolt
of calico, with the impressively large figure, though he
came from Clatsop and she from Yamhill. This was joke
enough to last the girls all the term. Mother Brown,
however, circumvented the restriction of the company so
far as to watch her chance and buy a whole bolt of cloth
at a time, getting in that way, for one picnic occasion,
enough muslin to dress the whole band of young girls in
white. Who can reckon the world of happiness that these
simple acts of kindliness brought to the little girls, some
of them "mitherless bairns' and all of them feeling
keenly the privations of a new and little improved terri-
tory? Or who can tell the good that such simple devices
brought to the young community, made up of so many
heterogeneous elements, and with the tendency always to
sink toward the level of the surrounding barbarity? It
was by such ways and acts that a refined society was
established, possessing in many ways a charm that our
later and more differentiated culture has lost.
The teachers of that early school were persons of high
education, and much varied experience, although not
having the specialized culture of the present day. These
were Lewis Thompson, the pioneer Presbyterian mis-
sionary of the present boundaries of Oregon ; Rev. Mr.
Spalding, and Mr. Wm. Geiger. Miss Mary Johnson,
of Oregon City, was also employed at one time. Mr.
Geiger was the singing teacher. He was general master
of ceremonies on all occasions ; training the children
MRS. TABITHA BROWN. 295
once for a Fourth of July temperance picnic held on the
North Plain. This was a day of great remembrance to
the pupils; and the songs then learned, "Flowers,
Wildwood Flowers,' and "The Temperance Banner,'
still are as fresh in Mrs. Smith's mind as on that day
nearly fifty years ago.
This is intended as but an introduction to a fuller
sketch of Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Kinney, her great grand-
daughter, has agreed to furnish many more of the par-
ticulars of her work, and to gather as nearly as possible
her letters still in the family possession. It is hoped
that these may be presented to the readers of the QUAR-
TERLY at no distant date. Mrs. Brown's home grew and
flourished, so that her house had to be enlarged, and so
careful was she about useless expenditures that her own
private funds became quite a comfortable competence,
for those days, enabling her to donate, or bequeath,
actual cash, or property, for further educational work.
' H. S. LYMAN.
I have read the above and find it very satisfactory and correct.
JANE K. SMITH.
ASTORIA, November 25, 1901.
The following is the narrative of a pioneer of 1852,
who is, however, at the age of sixty-five, still an active
business man, and who belongs not so distinctively to
the early pioneer period of settlement as to the -second
pioneer period — that of early enterprises and the busi-
ness ventures that have determined business arrange-
ments and channels of trade. This is a field that the
Historical Society has yet scarcely entered upon, and it
should be approached cautiously, as it is thus far with-
out historical perspective, nor free from local predisposi-
tions. Nevertheless, the great advantage of collecting
such data as opportunity offers, while the pioneers of
enterprise are still with us and in active mind, is so ap-
parent, that the scruples of these men themselves, who
hesitate to present for public perusal what is so personal,
may be set aside. Sooner or later the public claims all
worthy life and action.
The following is taken mainly from a letter written
by Mr. Warren to a relative at the East, interested in
family history, and is, therefore, even more of family
interest than the usual pioneer reminiscences ; but to the
historian and sociologist these records are of much more
interest than the usual political history to which such
exclusive attention is commonly given. Study of gen-
ealogies, even, has ceased, under modern historical
methods, to be exclusive or egotistical, and throws valu-
able light upon our most perplexing social problems.
In the case of Mr. Warren, for instance, the question of
what has become of the old New England revolutionary
stock has some answer, and the persistence of the char-
REMINISCENCES. 297
acteristics of the New Englander is well exhibited. New
England industry, New England enterprise, the New
England community and the New England home appear
wherever the New England blood has gone, no matter
through what vicissitudes it may have been drawn.
Mr. Warren's great grandfather, Phineas Warren,
was a first cousin to Gen. Joseph Warren, of revolution-
ary fame, and was born in Boston, Mass., about the year
1745. His grandfather was born at Marlborough, Vt.,
in the memorable year 1776, and his grandmother, Mary
Knight, in 1777. The infancy of these children was
certainly during the days and years to develop all the*
native faculties of activity and fortitude. This was per-
haps shown in the patriarchal family that came to them,
consisting of seven sons and three daughters, who grew
to maturity. The fourth child, Danford, was the father
of D. K. Warren, and of the three other sons who made
Oregon their home in 1852. Danford Warren was born
in 1.806, in Saratoga County, New York. This shows
the slow drift of American life westward, which was so
much accelerated half a century later. Mr. Warren's
mother, Amanda Pike, was born in Springfield, Mass.,
April 9, 1808.
They were married at Bath, Steuben County, N. Y., in
1830, and their family was four boys, of w^hom D. K. was
the youngest. He was born March 12, 1836, at Bath.
The family history, until that time moving with the hope
and happiness of the earlier American life, was now, how-
ever, sadly changed for the worse. The father was cut
off prematurely at the age of thirty-one, by brain fever.
Mr. Warren thus describes the burden that then fell upon
his mother : "My mother was left upon a small and un-
productive farm in western New York to battle for bread
for herself and her four little boys. The farm contained
only 110 acres, two thirds of which was covered with
298 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
timber and brush, and but a few acres were susceptible
of cultivation. Therefore my mother was compelled to
support her4 little brood in some other way. This she
did for five years after the death of my father by spin-
ning the wool and flax with which to make the clothing
not only for the family, but burning the midnight oil (or
tallow candle) in cutting, fitting, and making clothes for
others and for the trade.' However, this life of hard
work was comfort and peace compared with what fol-
lowed owing to an unfortunate second marriage. The
commendable traits of the stepfather's character, says
*Mr. Warren, were "that he was temperate and indus-
trious, and finally accumulated considerable property in
Illinois ;' but such was his brutality in the family as to
destroy all comfort or peace at home. The caprices of
this man merit recollection only for the bearing they
had upon directing the four sons toward their journey
to Oregon. The neighbors at length were so outraged
as to drive the stepfather from the community, and he
went to Illinois, then the far West. Here he seemed to
have reformed, and made so favorable an impression
upon the uncle of the lads as to win from him a recom-
mendation for the mother to again live with him. The
family therefore went to Illinois in 1848, making a new
home at Princeton ; but this soon proved as unhappy as
the old. The boys found work with the neighbors, from
whom the stepfather attempted to collect their pay, and
they were in fact forbidden to see their mother, on pain
of severe punishment. This led to troubles and scenes
which made it almost imperative to break forever all
home ties, and separation from their devoted mother
was the least of the evils. D. K. found work with a
kindly farmer named Judd, at Princeton, and although
but a slender lad of thirteen, performed his work so well
that at the end of the year he received pay at the rate of
REMINISCENCES. 299
$12 a month — a dollar more than the wages of grown
men. He worked here during the summers for three
years, but during winters attended school, working in
term time only for his board. Here he began his first
business venture, investing his limited earnings in live
stock — colts and horses — and at the age of sixteen found
himself possessor of $250 cash and a fine span of horses.
This, as he now says, was as good a piece of financiering
as he has ever done since.
In 1852 the four boys, the oldest of whom was not yet
twenty -one, and the youngest but sixteen, put together
their earnings, or its proceeds, and fitted out a four-
horse team for the trip to Oregon. To this adventurous
enterprise they were incited by acquaintance with
Thomas Mercer, of Princeton, 111., who had become
an enthusiast for Oregon, and although a leading man
in the growing community of a great and growing
state, gave up all and gathered his family and goods
into emigrant wagons, bound for the Pacific shores. He
became one of the early pioneers of Seattle, locating a
claim in the then deep woods beyond Lake Union, and
acquired property which at length became very valuable.
He had the great misfortune, however, on the journey
to Oregon to lose his wife, who died at the cascades.
With Mercer the Warrens effected a business arrange-
ment, selling him their team for $100 per head for the
horses, with the option to buy back at the end of the
journey at the same price, and paying him $100 each for
passage in the train, doing their share of the work,
which included guard duty every fourth night.
The company was not fully organized until the Mis-
souri River was reached at Council Bluffs. The train
left Princeton about the first of April, and crossed the
Mississippi at New Boston, near the mouth of Iowa
6
300 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
River ; thence the route traveled lay through Pella,
Oskaloosa, and Winterset, in Iowa, to Council Bluffs, or
Kanesville, as then called, which was nearly all wild
country.
They camped at these old Indian meeting grounds by
the Missouri, resting the horses for a couple of weeks
and awaiting the arrival of other members of the party.
The company as finally organized consisted of the fol-
lowing : Captain, Thomas Mercer, who was accom-
panied by his wife and four children ; Aaron Mercer and
wife ; Dexter Horton, wife and child ; Rev. Daniel Bag-
ley, wife and child ; Rev. W. F. West and wife ; Ashby
West, James Rossnagle, Wm. Shoudy ; George Gould,
wife, son and daughter ; John Pike, an uncle of Mr.
Warren's ; Daniel Drake, and the four young men War-
ren. There were several others who were with this train
at the start, but did not continue with it the entire jour-
ney. This was, it will be noticed, a small company, and
shows the disposition of the emigrants of the '50s to
break up or form small parties, as the big companies
of the '40s had been found unwieldy. There were about
fourteen wagons and forty horses. Sixteen men of the
company constituted the guard, and each was thus re-
quired to stand guard every fourth night, two men at a
time, the first watch being relieved at midnight.
In the above list we recognize the familiar names of
Horton and Bagley, as well as Mercer. These became
pioneers of Seattle, Horton engaging early in mercantile
pursuits, trading up and down the Sound, and finally
undertaking the banking business, being for a time in
partnership with W. S. Ladd of Portland. He acquired
property and erected some of the best buildings in that
truly queenly city, the New York block being projected
almost before the ashes of the great fire were cold. Rev.
Daniel Bagley became identified with the religious and
REMINISCENCES. 301
educational life of the young commonwealth of Wash-
ington, as that part of Oregon was soon constituted, and
from his labors sprang the University of Washington.
Mr. Horton is still in his vigor, and Mr. Bagley still
enjoys a green old age at eighty-three. Captain Mercer
is no longer living.
Mr. Warren recalls his life on the Plains as furnishing
the basis of a thrilling story, with its daily round of toil
and change, with the alterations of plains and moun-
tains and deserts, and incidents of buffaloes, Indians,
and wolves, " along a track of more than 150 camp fires,
which dotted the line for nearly 2,000 miles.' He
makes note, however, of only the following particulars
of his journey : —
I. In regard to the general health of our company. — That dread
scourge, the cholera, broke out among- the emigrants along the Platte
River, and for days and weeks we were rarely out of sight of a new
made grave. Our company, however, left but one, Mrs. Gould, from
Iowa, who died with cholera at Elm Creek, on Platte River; but many
members of our company were sick along this part of the route. My
health was good until we reached the Powder River in Eastern Ore-
gon, where I was taken with mountain fever and did not recover
until I reached the end of the journey. The wife of Capt. Thomas
Mercer died at the cascades of the Columbia, within but one day's
travel of the end of her journey, leaving four little girls.
II. The Indians. — We were very fortunate in getting through
without serious trouble from them. On one occasion, a very dark
night, they made a bold attempt to steal our horses, but were
promptly checked by the guards, who were Dexter Horton and my-
self. The Indians were armed with bows and arrows, and in the
skirmish for the possession of the horses an arrow was shot through
my coat and vest under the left arm. With the knowledge that we
now have of the Indian character, it seems. remarkable, and we were
indeed fortunate, that we were not left on the desolate plain without
a single horse, as they could easily have stampeded our horses in
spite of the guards almost any day or night between the Rocky Moun-
tains and Snake River. On account of the scarcity of grass through
that desolate region we were compelled to keep horsemen constantly
scouting for grass, and at times sending from one to three miles from
camp in the night in order to obtain sufficient grass to keep the horses
302 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
alive ; and only the regular guard of four went with them. We lost
only one horse, however, on the trip, and that was bitten by a rattle-
snake on Burnt River. (In the above brief description are included
many adventures. Once, when the horses were needing good pasture
most, Mr. Warren was guided out a long distance from camp over the
parched plains to a bit of grass, selected by an inexperienced or unob-
servant companion, only to find that the "grass " was simply a patch
of wild flag, or iris, which the horses would not touch ; and the dis-
gust of Captain Mercer, as the animals came back hollow and weakened
by further fasting, knew no bounds.)
III. Our route. — As before stated, we crossed the Missouri at
Omaha; thence up the north side of the Platte River and up the
Sweetwater River to the South Pass : thence to Green River. At
Soda Springs, on Bear River, we diverged from the California route
toward the northwest to Fort Hall, on the Snake River; thence prac-
tically down the Snake River (cutting across the Blue Mountains by
the Grande Ronde) to the Columbia. Our whole route being sub-
stantially that of the Union Pacific Railroad (and the Oregon Short
Line branch).
From The Dalles, where the first outposts of the Ore-
gon settlements were seen, the older settlements on the
Walla Walla having been abandoned after the Whitman
massacre, and that valley not being occupied again by
whites until after the war of 1855-56, the journey was
by the Columbia. The wagons were embarked upon
flatboats and transported down to the cascades, and
thence by the old portage to a steamer, on which they
came to Portland.
First experiences in Oregon were even more adventur-
ous than on the Plains, and the four young men found
that hard work and privation were as necessary here as
ever in Illinois ; but to this they were not averse, being
both by nature and training disposed to take work or
danger wherever these met them . They arrived at Port-
land, September 9, 1852, then a small but ambitious
town in the woods ; but were here detained by the sick-
ness of his brother, P. C. Warren. Upon his conva-
lescence the others began the search for employment.
George and Frank went down the Columbia and found
REMINISCENCES. 303
work at a sawmill at Astoria, where they were later
joined by P. C. D. K. determined to try his luck at the
gold fields in the valley of the Rogue River, Southern
Oregon. At the Umpqua, having covered about 200
miles of his journey, he found employment in ferrying
across the North Fork at Winchester. In December he
continued his journey, arriving finally at Jump-off- Joe.
The hardships of the journey and the intensely cold
weather of that season, which was one of the most severe
ever experienced, proved too much for the strength of
the lad. He was taken with lung fever, being predis-
posed to this disorder from a previous attack the year
before in Illinois. He lay sick in the camp of three
brothers of the name of Raymond, who procured for him
a physician of the old school, whose main prescription
was to forbid him drinking water. In his raging fever
and delirium this was a torture that still remains in mem-
ory, and if he had not eluded his nurse one night, and
gone to the spring at the door, under a bank of snow,
and drunk his fill, though so weak as to be unable to get
back, and being found in the snow, he thinks the fever
would have terminated fatally. At any rate with the
draught of water the fever subsided, and health slowly
returned.
He found work in the mines until spring opened, but
seeing little hope of financial success concluded to go to
Astoria, where work at better wages could be had in the
sawmill. He had but $10 with which to make the jour-
ney, and that at a time when the roughest fare cost a
dollar a meal. He worked his way, however, reaching
Astoria in June. It was probably fortunate that he left
the Rogue River as he did, since in the fall of '53 there
was the memorable Indian outbreak, and the miners that
escaped with life only were to be congratulated. The
304 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
house in which he had lain sick was burned, and his
physician, Doctor Rose, was killed by the Indians.
At Astoria, where he arrived with only the clothes he
wore and $3.00 cash, he found work in a logging camp,
at the mouth of the Walluski River. He was paid $75
per month, but after three months his employer broke up
and absconded. Mr. Warren says, however, that he "did
not claim all the credit for his failure, as there were ten
others working for the man.' What was another's ex-
tremity proved Mr. Warren's opportunity, as he soon
went to logging on his own account, and continued this
with fair success until the summer of '55, when he de-
termined to try once more his luck in the mines. He
went up the Columbia to the Colville district, taking a
claim at the mouth of the Pen d'Oreille ; but this enter-
prise was soon broken off by the general Indian uprising
of that year, and the miners were compelled to seek safety
in flight.
Returning to Astoria in '55, being then nineteen years
old, Mr. Warren resumed his logging operations, and con-
tinued until '59. In the mean time he purchased a tract
of 360 acres of timber land on the Columbia, thirteen
miles above Astoria. This was on the present site of
Knappa. Life here was free and busy, but not altogether
satisfactory to the young man. He had a few acres in
cultivation, and a small house, a barn, and a young or-
chard. On this little place he "batched" a part of the time,
alternating this, when it became monotonous, with board-
ing at a neighbor's ; but tiring of a life that offered so
few advantages, especially in the way of society or per-
sonal culture, he decided to return to Illinois, and made
the journey in company with his brother, P. C. Warren.
They left Astoria in February of 1860 on the steamship
Panama for San Francisco ; thence on the Cortez to the
Isthmus, which they crossed upon the railroad then but
REMINISCENCES. 305
lately completed ; and finished the journey on the steam-
ship Ariel, the same which was afterwards captured on
this line by the privateer Alabama in 1863. After visit-
ing the old home at Bath a few weeks he went on to
Princeton, 111., and remained in that state until 1863.
This he speaks of as the most remarkable period of his
life, as he here renewed an old acquaintance, and on
February 24, of the year last named, was married to Sarah
Elizabeth Eaton. This lady was the only daughter of
John L. and Lovey B. Eaton, who were of the pioneer
and revolutionary stock of New England, and who were
among the pioneers of the then far west, having moved
from Salisbury, N. H.,to Illinois in 1845, when the sub-
ject of this sketch was but five years old. This was an
event and experience, which Mr. Warren describes as
"lifting him to a higher plane and a better life.'
He looks back, however, with surprise upon the confi-
dence with which Mrs. Warren, then but a girl in years,
accompanied him on the return journey of 7,000 miles,
and undertook life amid the privations of pioneer days
in Oregon, for they decided to return to the little clear-
ing on the Columbia. Pleasant visits with friends in
New York were quickly followed by the sea voyage,
upon which, off Cape Hatteras, a terrible storm was
encountered, making the trip to the Isthmus double its
usual length. The steamship on the return from
Panama was the Constitution, to San Francisco, and
from that city the Brother Jonathan, whose wreck subse-
quently is still remembered as thrilling all the scattered
settlements of Oregon with sorrow and sympathy. They
arrived at Astoria on May 2, and soon undertook pioneer
life on the farm by the Columbia. They were not in
affluent circumstances. Mr. Warren recalls that after
buying such furniture as was necessary, and a small
stock of provisions, he had but $4.00 cash left. How-
306 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
ever, this stringency was but a small impediment to
their spirit of enterprise and did not at all mar their
happiness.
Mr. Warren's business was chiefly rafting logs to
Astoria, and this required that he should often be absent
from home, and Mrs. Warren remembers the courage
that it required, or must be assumed, to remain alone at
such times and care for the home. She tells of one day
when she was thus alone that the entire place was sur-
rounded by Indians who had become intoxicated, and
although usually they were tractable when sober, she
did not know what they might attempt while thus ex-
hilarated, but she sang around the house, doing her
work and attending to the baby with the greatest show
of unconcern ; and perhaps this cool manner saved
trouble.
Neither was it all pleasure on the river where Mr.
Warren navigated the rafts. In the daytime and dur-
ing serene weather there was no difficulty, but logs had
to go at other times also. He tells of one night off
Tongue Point, an elevated headland that projects sharply
a mile or more into the broad river, and where both
wind and stream are violent in heavy weather, that the
raft of logs which he and one other man were attempt-
ing to handle became windbound, and all but went to
pieces. The seas broke constantly over the end of the
clumsy structure, and to make it worse, the gale, having
risen suddenly from the east, was piercingly cold, freez-
ing the spray as it fell. At another time he lost a raft
in the breakers near the mouth of the Columbia, and
narrowly escaped with his life.
After seven years on the farm and rafting on the river,
a mercantile and market business was undertaken at
Astoria. It is worthy of mention that in connection
with the market business the firm, Warren & McGuire,
REMINISCENCES. 307
ran the first market wagon in Astoria, in 1876 ; and that
Mr. Warren owned the horse that drew the first wagon,
and kept the animal until his death, which occurred at
the patriarchal age, for a horse, of thirty-four. It is
also to be noted that the first street improvement in
Astoria, being that part of Ninth Street between Astor
and Duane, three blocks, was made by Mr. Warren's
brother, G. W. Warren. This was done in the fall of
'53, and consisted of filling it up to the established
grade with sawdust from Parker's mill ; being a depth
of about three feet. The work was through a swamp
almost the entire distance.'
In connection with the market business, quite a portion
of which was in contracts for supply of Fort Stevens army
post, it was found convenient to pasture cattle on the tide
lands west of Astoria, across Young's Bay. This led to
purchase of considerable tracts of this land by himself
and his brother, P. C. Warren, along both banks of Skip-
anon Creek, which wrinds for several miles through the
natural meadows laid down by the action of the tides
along the Columbia River's estuary. Mr. Warren had
already made some experiments in reclaiming such lands
by diking, at Knappa, and was the first in this effort.
He now attempted this on a larger scale and was so well
pleased with the results that he at length inclosed his
entire holding of several hundred acres. This was done
in 1878. The land thus reclaimed has proved highly pro-
ductive of hay and pasturage, and as the lower Columbia
region alone has many thousands of acres of such lands,
his success has led the way to a large development of re-
sources considered before as of little value.
After fourteen years at Astoria Mr. Warren decided to
retire upon his farm at Skipanon, and there made a de-
lightful home amid the most pleasant surroundings. He
has made almost a model farm, with a large and elegant
308 DANIEL KNIGHT WARREN.
residence, and orchard and fields, whose product fill his
immense barns to overflowing ; but business habits proved
too strong to be broken, and although nominally on the
retired list, he continued actively in business, taking up
interest in banking, sawmills, steamboats, and railroads.
A share of his time was given also during this period to
public service, and he successfully filled several local
positions with honor, and also served a term in the state
legislature, as joint senator from Clatsop, Tillamook, and
Columbia counties in 1876.
Railroad development in Clatsop County, of which Mr.
Warren was a pioneer, and became president of the short
Seaside line of sixteen miles first built, placed new value
upon his farm property. Here was found the most con-
venient place for railroad shops and yards. Here there-
fore he decided to lay off a town site, which appropriately
took the name of Warrenton. This is now the central
part of what is known as the Westside. In Warrenton
the New Englander's ideas of utility and beauty in a
village or city have reappeared. The streets are broad,
and carefully kept. Shade trees are planted along the
lanes, and careful provision for schools, churches, and
public libraries has been made. A liberal policy has been
followed by Mr. Warren to induce residents to build hand-
some houses, lots having been given in numerous in-
stances on the simple condition that fitting improvements
be made. The handsome schoolhouse, costing $1,100,
was built and donated, together with the grounds on which
it stands, by Mr. Warren. He has offered the most lib-
eral conditions of use of his water frontage, and it is not
improbable that the ample tide-land meadows of War-
renton will become in time the manufacturing district of
Astoria. This, however, is for the future.
The lesson of his life, as Mr. Warren sees it, is that
there is always rewrard for industry, and that opportunity
REMINISCENCES. 309
has rather widened than diminished since the early days.
To his own sons and daughters his enterprises have opened
the way to the most desirable opportunities in society and
business ; and to many other young persons, either di-
rectly through his own home, or indirectly through the
work he has always managed to furnish, he has provided
the way to work and success ; having constantly, since
the age of nineteen, given employment to a number of
men.
The general success of Mr. Warren's enterprises em-
phasizes the truth, which all founders of communities
and town builders should ponder, that liberal rather than
narrow interpretations of business laws will in the end
show the greatest results.
H. S. LYMAN.
A copy of the orders to Captain Biddle, United States
Navy, to command the U. S. S. Ontario when sent out
and to resume possession for the United States of the
post and territory at the mouth of the Columbia ; also
an extract from the log of that vessel covering the period
from June 30, 1818, when she sailed from Lima, Peru,
to August 30, 1818, the date of the commencement of
her return voyage to that port, after her cruise to the
Columbia River ; and Captain Biddle 's official report of
his work :
NAVY DEPARTMENT, May 12, 1817.
CAPT. JAMES BIDDLE, Philadelphia:
SIR : Proceed to New York and assume the command of the U. S.
ship Ontario destined for immediate service. This order is given
with a desire to meet your wishes, as frequently expressed, for active
employment.
B. W. CROWNINSHIELD.
EXTRACT FROM LOG OF THE U. S. S. ONTARIO, CAPT. JAMES BIDDLE.
I sailed from Lima on the thirtieth of June (1818) and arrived off the
Columbia River on the nineteenth of August at daylight. The en-
trance to this river is rendered difficult to vessels so large as the Onta-
rio by the shoalness of the water on its bar, by its sinuous channel,
and by the strength and irregularity of its tides. As it was not indis-
pensable to the service I had to perform that the ship should enter the
river, I anchored outside the bar, and proceeded in with three boats
well armed and manned with more than fifty officers and seamen. I
landed at a small cove within Cape Disappointment on the north side
of the river, and here, in the presence of several of the natives, dis-
playing the flag of the United States, turning up a sod of soil, and
giving three cheers, I nailed up against a tree a leaden plate in which
were cut the following words:
TAKEN POSSESSION OF IN THE NAME AND ON THE
BEHALF OF THE UNITED STATES, BY CAPTAIN
JAMES BIDDLE, COMMANDING THE UNITED STATES
SHIP ONTARIO. COLUMBIA KIVER, AUGUST, ISIS.
DOCUMENTS. 311
While this was passing on shore, the ship fired a salute. When this
ceremony was concluded, I proceeded up to Chinoake village and vis-
ited its chief, thence crossed the river and visited the settlement,
which is 20 miles from Cape Disappointment, and on my way down the
river I landed on its south side near Point George and took possession.
I anchored with the boats for the night off Chinoake Point, and on the
following morning I recrossed the bar and returned on board.
As it was impracticable to bring wood and water in our boats to
the ship without the bar, it became necessary to go into some neigh-
boring port for a supply of these articles. The want also of fresh pro-
visions, which can not be procured at the Columbia River, and which
it was not prudent the crew should be longer without, rendered it ad-
visable to enter a port in the vicinity. I therefore sailed for Monte-
rey, where I arrived on the twenty-fifth of August. At this point I
met the Russian sloop of war Kutusoff.
Having completed wooding and watering, I sailed for Monterey on
the thirtieth of August, and arrived on the twenty-second of October
at Lima.
U. S. SHIP ONTARIO, Aug. 19, 1818.
SIR : I have the honor to inform you I have this day taken posses-
sion, in the name and on the behalf of the United States, of both
shores of the river Columbia ; observing in the performance of this
service the ceremonies customary upon the like occasions of setting
up a claim to national sovereignty and dominion.
I have the honor to be with great respect, sir,
Your most obedient servant,
J. BIDDLE.
The Hon. THE SECRETARY OF NAVY, Washington City.
Letter from Iowa Territory, dated March 4, 1843, and
signed "H.,' in National Intelligencer, April 18,1843.
Copied from the New Haven Palladium : —
•
I suppose you of the East consider the present residents of Iowa
the very pioneers of the West. Never was a greater mistake ; the
true western pioneers have pushed on beyond us, or if here and there
one still lingers, it is only that he may dispose of his farm and " im-
provements " to push for a " new country."
Strange, restless beings are the genuine pioneers. Among them
you may find some who have helped to lay the foundations of every
state from the "old thirteen" hither; men who have successfully
held seats in every legislature, from Virginia to Iowa, inclusive, but
who are now moving to a new country again to ' ' make a claim ; '
again to act a conspicuous part in the community in which they live ;
312 DOCUMENTS.
to run the political race, become the members of the legislature
of some future state, find themselves thrown in the shade by those of
greater attainments who follow in their wake, and again to push for
the "new purchase."
Fearlessness, hospitality, and independent frankness, united with
restless enterprise and unquenchable thirst for novelty and change,
are the peculiar characteristics of the western pioneers. With him
there is always a land of promise further west, where the climate is
milder, the soil more fertile, better timber and finer prairies ; and on,
on, on, he goes, always seeking and never attaining the Pisgah of his
hopes. You of the old states can not readily conceive the every-day
sort of business an "old settler " makes of selling out his "improve-
ments," hitching the horses to the big wagon, and, with his wife and
children, swine and cattle, pots and kettles, household goods and
household gods, starting on a journey of hundreds of miles to find
and make a new home.
Just now Oregon is the pioneer's land of promise. Hundreds are
already prepared to start thither with the spring, while hundreds of
others are anxiously awaiting the action of congress in reference to
that country, as the signal for their departure. Some have already
been to view the country, and have returned with a flattering tale of
the inducements it holds out. They have painted it to their neighbors
in the brightest colors ; these have told it to others ; the Oregon fever
has broke out, and is now raging like any other contagion. Mr. Cal-
houn was right when he told the senate that the American people
would occupy that country independent of all legislation ; that in a
few years the pioneers of the West would overrun it and hold it
against the world. "Wilson, " said I a few days since to an old settler,
"so you are going to Oregon." "Well, I is, horse. Tice Pitt was
out looking at it last season, and he says it is a leetle the greatest
country on the face of the earth. So I'm bound to go." "How do
the old woman and the girls like the idea of such a long journey?"
"They feel mighty peert about it, and Suke says she shan't be easy
till we start."
Extract from a lecture by George L. Hillard, on "The
Connection Between Geography and History," delivered
before the American Institute of Instruction at Hart-
ford, Conn., August, 1845 : —
There are no considerable tracts of land wholly unfitted for agri-
cultural purposes within the limits of the United States. Between us
and the Pacific there is an extensive region of this kind of about 800
miles in length and 600 miles in breadth, including the Rocky Moun-
DOCUMENTS. 313
tains, which run through it; a sandy, rocky tract not capable of sup-
porting- a stationary agricultural population, and only to be safely
traversed by persons in considerable numbers. Of the validity of our
claims for this territory, I have not carefully informed myself, but all
past history gives its testimony against the probable success of any
attempt to combine into one political whole two great members thus
disjoined. Nature interposes her veto by rearing her rocky walls and
spreading out her dreary wastes of separation. She forbids the bans
of such a union, and in this point of view alone I should hold our claim
upon Oregon to be dearly maintained at the cost of one dollar of
treasure or one drop of blood.
VOLUME III.]
DECEMBER, 19O2
[NUMBER 4
THE QUARTERLY
OF THE
OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
BEGINNING OF OREGON RAILROAD DEVELOPMENT.
The March QUARTERLY contained two references to this
subject, in treating of other questions. Both Professor
Robertson and Mr. W. D. Fenton give accounts of the
contest between the "East Side Line "and the "West Side
Line" for the possession of the first grant of land to Ore-
gon in aid of the construction of railroads. That con-
tention between the two companies makes a memorable
chapter in the history of the state.
Being now the only survivor of the twenty-two men
who made up the boards of directors of the two compa-
nies contending for the land grant, I am impelled, at the
risk of being thought governed by personal and contro-
versial feeling (of which I am unconscious), and by the
interest I have in historical accuracy on this subject, to
make the following additions to, and corrections in the
articles referred to :
The contest referred to by Professor Robertson grew out
of the desire to get possession of the land grant made by
Congress on July 25, 1866. That grant, so far as it re-
lated to Oregon, was, more than to any other person, due
to the labors of Joseph Gaston, who, at Jacksonville, in
316 JOSEPH GASTON.
December, 1863, organized and put in the field a party of
engineers to survey a railroad line from the state boundary
north to the Columbia River through the Rogue River,
Umpqua, and Willamette valleys. Gaston assumed all
responsibility for the undertaking, furnished the outfit,
raised the means to pay and subsist the party, wrote and
printed the report of the engineers, paid for the maps,
procured and sent hundreds of petitions to the legislature,
and memorials to Congress, in favor of the land grant,
conducted all the correspondence, answered all the objec-
tions, and devoted his time for three years to the under-
taking, and was recognized by the congressional delega-
tions from both Oregon and California as the guiding and
responsible promoter of an Oregon and California railroad
on behalf of the State of Oregon. The act of Congress
provided that so far as the grant related to Oregon, the
lands should go to such corporation as the legislative
assembly of Oregon should designate. At the ensuing
session of the Oregon legislature, after the passage of the
act granting the lands, Gaston prepared and had signed
articles of incorporation, incorporating "The Oregon Cen-
tral Railroad Company," which were read and discussed
before the legislature, and filed according to law, and the
legislature then passed a resolution designating the Oregon
Central Railroad Company to receive the granted lands
in Oregon, which resolution was afterwards filed with the
Secretary of the Interior at Washington City, which officer
recognized said company as entitled to the land grant in
Oregon. The legislature went farther, and passed an act
pledging the state to pay seven per cent interest on
$1,000,000 of the company's first mortgage bonds to aid
in construction of the road.
Up to the date of these acts of the legislature, and for
six months thereafter, no one questioned the proceedings
of Gaston or the legality of his company ; but now sud-
THE OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD. 317
denly appears on the scene one S. G. Elliot from California,
and who had made the survey in that state. Mr. Elliot
kindly proposed to take over the whole business, and re-
lieve the Oregonians of the trouble of building their end
of the line. He had a grand scheme which he proposed
to unfold to a select few of the incorporators in the Oregon
company. He proposed to take possession of the Oregon
Central Railroad Company, and, by a board of directors
in favor of his scheme, enter into a contract with a ficti-
tious concern known in the deal as "A. J. Cook & Com-
pany," for the construction of the road, and issue to Cook
& Company $7,000,000 in stock and first mortgage bonds
to the amount of $35,000 per mile of road for construction
purposes ; $2,000,000 of which stock should be preferred
interest-bearing stock, and should be by Cook & Company
transferred back to the Oregon board of directors for their
perquisites in the matter and for the purpose of influ-
encing legislation in Oregon.
When this scheme was proposed to Gaston he, under
the advice of a large majority of the incorporators of the
Oregon Central Company, rejected it and refused to be a
party to it, and being in a position to defeat it, prevented
the Oregon Central Railroad Company from being con-
nected with it, and then the trouble commenced. Three
of the incorporators out of twenty of the Oregon Central
Company seceded, and with three other persons made and
filed articles of incorporation on April 22, 1867, in the
name of the Oregon Central Railroad Company.
Here then were two companies both claiming the same
corporate name, when in law and equity there could be
but one entitled thereto. The east side company was not
only open to the objection that it had usurped the corpo-
rate name of a prior corporation, but also to the objection
that it had violated the law of the state in its organiza-
tion. For while its articles of incorporation provided for
318 JOSEPH GASTON.
a capital stock of $7,250,000, and the state law required
that one half of this capital should be subscribed before
the election of a board of directors, yet in violation of
this law the east side company had been organized by a
subscription of $100 each by six men, and then the six
men present passing a resolution authorizing the so-called
chairman of the meeting to subscribe $7,000,000 to the
capital stock of the company in the name of the com-
pany ; or, in other words, authorizing a man to lift him-
self over a fence by the straps of his boots. These facts
becoming known, Gaston lost no time in applying to the
circuit court of Marion County for leave to test the legality
of the east side company. This was refused by the pre-
siding judge on the ground that no damages had been
shown by the Oregon Central Company from the alleged
unlawful usurpation of its name ; and so another tack
must be tried. The opportunity came a few months
later when the east side company sought to condemn the
right of way for its railroad through a farmer's land in
Clackamas bottom. Here the Oregon Central Company
inspired the farmer to refuse the right of way and deny
the legal corporate existence of the east side company ;
and upon this issue a trial was demanded, but the east
siders were too wary to submit their organization to such
legal test, and immediately withdrew their suit of con-
demnation, relocated their line, and avoided the farmer's
land by a more circuitous route.
Foiled again, the Oregon Central resolved to get into
a court where there could be no dodging, and assigning
one of its first mortgage bonds to James B. Newby, of
California, Newby commenced a suit in the United
States district court of Oregon, to enjoin the east side
company from using the name " Oregon Central Eailroad
Company," on the ground that such use was an injury
to the value of his bond. Here was found a judge who
THE OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD. 319
never shirked a responsibility, and after many months of
dilatory special pleading by the east side company, Judge
Deady decided, without evasion, that the prior adoption
of a corporate name by a corporation appropriated the
exclusive use of such name, and that a second company
attempting to use such name could be enjoined from the
use thereof without any showing of damages to the first
appropriator. This decision was the death knell of the
east side company, which made haste to incorporate and
organize the Oregon and California Railroad Company,
and to it made a transfer of all its property and franchises.
Judge Deady's decision in that case is a landmark in the
jurisprudence of the United States, being the only deci-
sion up to that time ever made upon the question involved,
and it has ever since been the law of every court through-
out the Union.1
The Oregon Central Railroad Company, (then widely
known as the west side company,) was thus vindicated in
its right to the exclusive use of that name. Now let us
see how the east side company stands in the light of hav-
ing ever had a lawful existence. Not long after Judge
Deady's decision, Ben Holladay and S. G. Elliot, who
were partners in the A. J. Cook Company construction
contract mentioned, quarreled over a division of their
plunder, and Elliot brought suit for a settlement of part-
nership affairs. Never was there a better illustration of
the old maxim, "When rogues fall out, honest men get
their dues," than was afforded by this law suit, which was
finally decided by the Supreme Court of Oregon and re-
ported on pages 85 to 99 of the eighth volume Oregon
Reports. The decision states the facts that —
On the day the (Salem) corporation was formed six different persons
subscribed one share each to this stock (stock of the company), and
thereupon there was an attempt to subscribe seventy thousand shares
1 See Deady's Reports, pp. 609 to 620.
320 JOSEPH GASTON.
by the company, of its own stock, by a subscription, as follows: "Ore-
gon Central Railroad Company, by George L. Woods, chairman, sev-
enty thousand shares — seven million dollars."
Farther along the decision recites the facts, that in ad-
dition to the above, the directors of this Salem company
issued $2,000,000 unassessable preferred stock, bearing
interest at seven per cent per annum, and delivered the
same to A. J. Cook & Company under a private under-
standing that Cook & Company was to give back to these
directors $1,000,000 of this preferred stock, to be used by
them in procuring legislation in Oregon. On page 91 of
the decision the court says :
The attempt to subscribe seventy thousand shares to the stock of the
Oregon Central Railroad Company, by the corporation itself through
a person styling himself chairman, was done simply to evade the lia-
bility which the law imposes on all persons who subscribe to the cap-
ital stock of corporations. This action was a mere nullity, and added
nothing to the amount of stock subscribed, which then was only six
shares of one hundred dollars each. Those who subscribed the six
shares then proceeded to elect directors and other officers of the cor-
poration. The corporation was not organized according to law, but in
direct violation of the statute, which provides that "it shall be lawful
in the organization of any corporation to elect a board of directors as
soon as one half the capital stock has been subscribed." In this case
the attempted organization of the Oregon Central Railroad Company
amounted to nothing. It was absolutely void. Nor did the joint or-
ganization of the legislative assembly, adopted October 20, 1868, recog-
nize this corporation as the one entitled to receive the land granted by
act of Congress, to aid in the construction of a railroad, cure the in-
herent defects of its organization. It had no power to legally transact
any business nor to accept or hold the lands so granted.
Farther along, on page 93 of the decision, in speaking
of the value of the bonds issued by this company, the
court says :
Goldsmith and others had tried in vain to negotiate these bonds and
found it impossible to sell them at any price. The evidence shows
that they were worth nothing in the money markets of the country.
Suits had been commenced in the United States circuit court and the
circuit courts of this state against the Oregon and California Railroad
Company to test the legality of its existence as a corporation, and
THE OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD. 321
they had so far progressed as to foreshadow its overthrow. Joseph
Gaston, the president of a rival corporation of the same name, known
as the Oregon Central Railroad Company (west side) had issued circu-
lars and sent them to bankers and brokers in the East, setting forth,
in language more forcible than elegant, that "the corporation was a
humbug, and its bonds were worthless." It was known that the com-
pany was hopelessly insolvent.
Such was the organization and end of the company
Mr. Fenton seems to believe was the "Oregon Central
Railroad Company.' It never was a corporation, and is
entitled to no place in the history of the state as such.
It may be inquired how that company finally secured the
land grant if it had no legal standing or existence? The
answer is, that after Elliot and his Oregon associates were
practically beaten in the courts and before the people,
and in a state of hopeless collapse, they made a hasty
antemortem disposition of their effects to Ben Holladay,
noticed by Professor Robertson. Holladay was every-
thing that Professor Robertson paints him, and a great
deal more and worse. Possessed of large wealth for that
time, he came to Oregon to take up the east side wreckage
and make something of it. He distributed his money
with a lavish hand, subsidized newspapers, hired lawyers,
and purchased politicians right and left ; and at the next
ensuing session of the legislative assembly organized a
hostelry at Salem, keeping "open house' ' to all comers,
and so successfully plied susceptible members of the leg-
islature that he was able with his money judiciously dis-
tributed to secure from the legislature the passage of a
resolution declaring that "The Oregon Central Railroad
Company' ' had never been designated to receive the lands
granted by Congress ; that such designation was yet to
be made, and that "The Oregon Central -Railroad Com-
pany of Salem' ' be designated to receive the grant. This
action of the legislature, as Holladay afterward informed
the writer hereof, cost him $35,000. This was the first
322 JOSEPH GASTON.
time in the history of the state its legislative assembly
had been openly and unblushingly corrupted ; and the
damage, disgrace, and dishonor thus inflicted on the com-
monwealth far outweighed any possible benefit Holla-
day's railroad enterprise ever did the state ; but armed
with this resolution, Holladay proceeded to Washington
City to induce Congress to set aside the acts of the Sec-
retary of the Interior in recognizing the Oregon Central
Railroad Company as entitled to the land grant. On this
question the Oregon delegation divided, one senator
espousing the cause of Holladay and the other remaining
immovable in his support of the rightful claimant of the
land grant. Congress finally adopted a compromise, and
passed an act to give the land to the company which
should first complete twenty miles of road ; and Holladay
won the land grant on that stake.
The Salem (east side) Company was not yet out of trouble.
Notwithstanding it had purchased an indorsement from
the Oregon legislature, and had been recognized by Con-
gress as entitled to compete for the land grant, and had
actually won it by completing the first twenty miles of the
road, yet Judge Deady's decision was fairly a sentence of
dissolution, death, and defeat. Conscious of its inherent
illegal organization, and forbidden to use the corporate
name it had unlawfully usurped, and without which it
could neither raise money by selling bonds, or even con-
demn the right of way for its road, it may well be imagined
the east side company was in straits from which it required
a master's hand for delivery. Its attorneys, doubtless, saw
well enough what our supreme court afterwards decided,
that it could neither take nor hold the land grant. In this
dilemma Holladay applied to the distinguished New York
lawyer Wm. M. Evarts, who was afterwards secretary of
state under President Hayes, and who, after investigating
the whole matter, devised the plan of incorporating a new
THE OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD. 323
company — "The Oregon and California Railroad Com-
pany,"— to which corporation the Salem company trans-
ferred all its effects. Mr. Evarts gave the legal opinion
that inasmuch as Congress had recognized the Salem Com-
pany as an Oregon corporation, and had extended to it the
franchise of competing for the land grant, and the company
had actually complied with the terms of such recognition
by building twenty miles of railroad, and that franchise
was a grant from the sovereign that no one could dispute
but the grantor, and that if this grantee should transfer
to a new and lawful corporation all its rights in the grant,
the courts would respect and maintain such transfer in the
possession of the grantee, and that it would be safe for
capitalists to lend the new corporation money on such
security ; and so the transfer of the Oregon and California
Company was made, and bankers in Germany advanced
the money on the first mortgage bonds of the company to
build the road. For this service rendered by Mr. Evarts,
Holladay paid a fee of $25,000.
It might be inferred from the articles of Professor Rob-
ertson and Mr. Fenton that the east side company was
the popular one with the people of Oregon ; but this was
not the fact. Both companies strenuously sought to
enlist popular support ; and the Oregon Central (or west
side) company succeeded to the extent of getting the Port-
land city council to pass an ordinance pledging the city to
pay the interest on $250,000 of the company's bonds for
twenty years. A like pledge was made by the commis-
sioners of Washington County, to the extent of $50,000
of the company's bonds, and a like pledge by Yamhill
County, to the extent of $75,000 of the company's bonds.
In addition to this, citizens of Portland subscribed and
paid for $50, 000 of the company's stock, citizens of Wash-
ington County took $20,000 of the company's stock, and
citizens of Yamhill County $25,000 ; while Couch and
324 JOSEPH GASTON.
Flanders of Portland gave the company ten blocks of land
where the Union Depot now stands as an inducement to
locate its Portland depot in the north of the city.
On the other hand, the east side company applied to
the Portland council for aid and indorsements, and was
refused ; no aid was given them by citizens of Portland,
and no one along their own line would take stock in their
company. The people of Portland were not opposed to
an east side railroad, but they were opposed to the methods
the east side company were using to organize their com-
pany and get the land grant. It is true that the east side
company had the larger assemblage at their "ground
breaking celebration, but it was not a spontaneous gather-
ing. It had been widely advertised and worked up in the
brass band whoop-and-hurrah style of a political meeting.
The Oregon Central Company broke ground for the con-
struction of its road on April 14, 1868, two days ahead
of the east side event. The ceremony took place at the
point where Woods Street, in Caruthers' Addition to Port-
land, intersects the -line where the railroad is now con-
structed. A brief announcement of the event was given
in the local news columns of the Daily Oregonian a few
hours before the ceremony took place, and thousands of
the people responded and were promptly on the ground.
Walter MofFatt, a public spirited citizen, contributed a
wagon load of refreshments free to all, and there was an
abundance of "real old Monongahela rye" for everybody
to toast the enterprise and everything else, and the celebra-
tion went off with a spirit which showed which railroad
company was the popular favorite. Governor Gibbs and
Col. W. W. Chapman made addresses which were cheered
to the echo ; after which, the Daily Oregonian of the 15th
describes the proceedings as follows :
More speeches were called for, but some one called out, "Talk
enough; let's go to work," and before anybody could have led off in
THE OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD. 325
any other direction, the whole mass of the people, as if moved by one
impulse, began to seize upon the shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, etc.,
and to start the carts toward the place of beginning1 the first cut.
The scene at this moment was one of the most animated ever witnessed
in this city. Carts were hurried under the direction of Mr. Slavin to
their places, were filled almost by magic, and hurried away, their
places being instantly supplied by others. The people were cheering
and giving all manner of demonstrations of joy. Many of them rushed
in among the crowds of workmen, seized upon shovels and commenced
throwing dirt as if for life. Others seized upon wheelbarrows, and,
getting loads as fast as they could, hurried down the grade to the
dumping place, just to say they had assisted in breaking ground. Old
men, middle-aged men, young men, boys, and even ladies, vied with
each other in good natured rivalry to throw dirt into the first cart.
There were not shovels enough for all, and those who did not succeed
in helping to fill the first cart struggled for a chance at the second, or
the third, or the fourth, and so on. One lady, Mrs. David C. Lewis,
wife of Engineer Lewis, was among the first to throw dirt into the
carts, and was immensely cheered.
That was the ground breaking for the first railroad in
Oregon.
After losing the land grant the Oregon Central Com-
pany sent Mr. Gaston to Washington City in December,
1869, where he was successful in getting from Congress a
second grant of land to aid in constructing a railroad from
Portland to McMinnville, with a branch from Forest Grove
to Astoria ; and under which grant the road was con-
structed to the Yamhill River at St. Joe. This was the
last grant of land made by Congress as a subsidy to rail-
roads ; and that part of the road proposed from Forest
Grove to Astoria not having been constructed, the grant
for such branch was forfeited by act of Congress in 1882.
Had it been retained to the present the timber on this
route would have made it the most valuable grant in the
United States.
During this memorable contest, the board of directors
of the east side, or Salem Company, was composed of I. R.
Moores, George L. Woods, E. N. Cooke, T. McF. Patton,
John H. Moores, Jacob Conser, and John H. Miller, of
326 JOSEPH GASTON.
Marion County ; J. H. Douthitt, of Linn County ; F. A.
Chenowith and Greenbury Smith, of Benton County ;
S. Ellsworth and J. H. D. Henderson, of Lane County;
Stephen F. Chadwick, of Umpqua County ; John E. Ross,
of Jackson County; A. F. Hedges and A. L. Lovejoy, of
Clackamas County, and S. B. Parrish, of Multnomah
County ; while the directors of the Oregon Central Com-
pany were J. B. Underwood, of Lane County; Wm. T.
Newby, of Yamhill County ; Thos. R. Cornelius, of Wash-
ington County ; and John C. Ainsworth and Joseph Gas-
ton, of Multnomah County. It is a great pleasure to have
the opportunity to testify to the public spirit and high
character of these men who have passed away, and who in
their day did their whole duty in unselfish labors to lay
deep and broad the sure foundation of civic institutions
and commercial prosperity for the State of Oregon ; and
while it was true that $50,000 of the preferred stock re-
ferred to was issued and deposited in the safe of E. N.
Cooke, of Salem, for each one of the east side directors in
pursuance of the scheme of Elliott, it is gratifying to know
that not a man of them ever accepted a dollar of it, and
could never be used by Holladay to promote or approve
his questionable methods, and who for that reason, when
he organized his new company were all left out of it. As
the railroad could not be located on both sides of the Wil-
lamette River, it was inevitable that there should be a
contest for the franchise and the land grant which accom-
panied it ; and now, when the bitterness engendered by
the contention has long since passed away and been for-
gotten, and both sides of the Willamette Valley have se-
cured through the labors of those pioneers in public works
all the benefits of railroad transportation, their places in
the historical record of the state may be clearly denned,
arid the legend end with, "Well done, good and faithful
servants." JOSEPH GASTON.
'IT 2F TlrfE W\
1
\ ri £6}
K 11 5
By GEORGE H. HIMES.
One of the most signally important agencies in the de-
velopment of a country is the art of printing with mova-
ble types, the "Art Preservative of all Arts.' Since its
discovery in Europe in 1430-1450 it has become one of
the most potent of world forces. The first printing press
in America, at least so far as the English language is con-
cerned, about which anything is known, was established
at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in March, 1639, by one Day.
The proprietor's name was Glover, who died on his way
from England to America. The first thing printed was
the freeman's oath, the second an almanac, and the third
a version of the Psalms. In 1709 a press was established
at New London, Connecticut, by a printer named Short.
The first code of Connecticut laws was revised by the gen-
eral court, held at Hartford in October, 1672, and printed
by Samuel Green, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1675.
The first newspaper in America was the News Letter,
printed in Boston, April 17, 1704. The first newspaper
in Connecticut was the Gazette, begun at New Haven in
1755, by James Parker, but discontinued in 1767, because
he removed to New York, and is believed to have been
the first printer in that city.
The first press on the Pacific Coast, or any of its tribu-
tary islands, operated by citizens of the United States, was
the Mission Press of the American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions (the foreign missionary society of the
Congregational and Presbyterian churches of the United
States), which was sent to Oahu, Sandwich Islands, late in
328 GEO. H. HIMES.
1821. On January 5, 1822, stands for type cases were
made and part of the type placed in the cases. On Jan-
uary 7th the first impression of the first sheet of the
Owyhee spelling book was taken. The name of the
printer was Elisha Loomis, who was also a teacher, and
went from Middlesex, New York, to join the mission
party at Boston, which sailed from that port to the islands
on October 23, 1819. When the first sheet of the spelling
book was printed the native governor, Tiamoko, several
masters of vessels, and others, were present to witness the
scene, the first of the kind in these islands. How inter-
esting to those who carried forward their reflections to
the future and distant and endless results. On January
10th Mr. Loomis printed the king's name in "elegant
capitals" in the two forms, "Rihoriho," and, 'Liholiho,'
so that he might settle the question whether "R' or
"L" should be used in spelling his name. He chose the
former. On January 12th Mr. Loomis printed a supply
of several kinds of approbation tickets, to be used among
the school children. The progress of printing was slow,
owing to the difficulties in translating the language. At
the end of six months only sixteen pages of a small
spelling book had been printed. Late in 1825 Mr.
Loomis made a statement to the effect that up to that
date sixteen thousand copies of the spelling book, four
thousand copies of a small scripture tract, four thousand
copies of a catechism, and twro thousand copies of a
hymn book of sixty pages had been printed, and in this
connection stated that another press and more type was
greatly needed. Not long after the above date a press
was established at Honolulu, and by March 20. 1830,
the combined plants had issued twenty-two distinct books,
averaging thirty-seven small pages each, amounting in all
to three hundred and eighty-seven thousand copies.
In a few years the demand for printed matter in the
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 329
islands assumed such proportions that greater facilities
for printing became necessary ; hence the first Honolulu
press was laid aside.
In 1836 the American Board Mission among the In-
dians in Oregon was established, so as a means of encour-
agement, and with a view to helping on in the work of
this mission as far as possible, the First Native Church
of Honolulu decided to send it the unused press. Accord-
ingly, an arrangement was effected with Mr. Edwin 0.
Hall, who had been one of the printers of the mission
since 1835, to take it to Oregon. It was shipped with
type, fixtures, paper, and binding apparatus, all valued
at $500, and arrived at Vancouver, on the Columbia River,
about April 10, 1839. An express was sent to Dr. Marcus
Whitman at Wai-il-et-pu, six miles west of the present
city of Walla Walla, Washington, and to Rev. H. H.
Spalding at Lapwai, on the Clearwater, not a great way
from the present city of Lewiston, Idaho, notifying them
that the press, with Mr. and Mrs. Hall, and F. Ermatin-
ger, as guide, would leave Vancouver on the 13th with the
hope of reaching Fort Walla Walla (now Wallula) on
the 30th. Spalding, with his wife and child, started for
Wai-il-et-pu on the 24th and reached his destination on
the 27th. The next day a note was received to the effect
that the press and party before named had just arrived, pas-
sage having been made up the Columbia River in a canoe.
On May 6th the press and escort started for Lapwai, the
press on pack animals in charge of Ermatinger ; Hall and
wife, and Spalding and family in a canoe, and all arrived
safely at their destination late on the evening of the 13th.
On the 16th the press was set up, and on May 18, 1839,
the first proof sheet in the original Oregon territory was
struck off. This was an occasion of great rejoicing. On
the 23d it was resolved to build an adobe printing office.
On the 24th the first four hundred copies of a small book in
330 GEO. H. HIMES.
the Nez Perce Indian language was printed. The trans-
lation was made by Mr. and Mrs. Spalding and Cornelius
Rogers, a teacher in the mission, and used in manuscript
form prior to the arrival of the press. On July 10th the
style of alphabet was agreed upon, it having been decided
to adopt the one used in the Sandwich Islands. This was
done at Kamiah by Doctor and Mrs. Whitman, Mr. Spald-
ing and wife, Rev. A. B. Smith and wife, and Mr. Hall.
On August 1st the printing of another book was com-
menced in the new alphabet, and by the 15th five hundred
copies were completed. On December 30th the press was
packed, with the intention of sending it to Doctor Whit-
man's station, Wai-il-et-pu, to print a book there. The
next day it started on its journey, and that evening the pack
horse fell down a precipice and it was supposed that the
press was dashed to pieces. On January 1, 1840, Mr.
Rogers rode to the scene of the accident, gathered all the
material together and returned. By the 17th the press
was again set up, and it was discovered that nothing was
lost save a few type. By this experience it was found that
it would be easier to send the manuscript to the press than
the press to the manuscript. Printing was resumed on
the 20th, and on the 28th, Mr. Hall having started for
the Sandwich Islands, Mr. Rogers, who had been taught
to set type and operate the press by Mr. Hall, was em-
polyed to take charge of the press and do the printing for
the mission for £30, English money, per year and his
board. Thereafter, so long as the mission was sustained,
the usual routine of work was pursued.
It is impossible to state accurately the number of pub-
lications that were issued from this press in the Flathead,
Spokane, Cayuse, and Nez Perce languages, but it is be-
lieved to have been at least a dozen. It has been my good
fortune to secure four copies of these publications for the
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 331
library of the Oregon Historical Society during the past
three years.
Tramp printers were not common in those early days,
and but few found their way to this then comparatively
unknown region. The earliest one that there is any record
of was a man named Turner. One evening in 1839, soon
after the press was set up at Lapwai, Mr. Spalding was
standing on the banks of the Clearwater, and was sur-
prised to hear a white man on the opposite shore call him.
He paddled across the river in a canoe to the stranger and
took him home. The man gave his name as above, that
his home was in Canada, and that he had come from Sas-
katchewan on foot. Spalding, being somewhat incredu-
lous, never learned his history. When Turner saw the
printing office he said, "Now I am at home.' He assisted
in arranging the plant and in making pads. Mr. Spald-
ing translated passages of the Bible and several hymns for
the Sunday-school in the Nez Perce tongue, and Turner
set them up. He was quite attentive to his work and re-
mained all winter. Mr. Spalding had planned to have
considerable printing done and had arranged to pay Tur-
ner wages, but he suddenly disappeared and was never
heard of afterward.
The next printers to appear at Lapwai were Medare G.
Foisy and Charles Saxton, both coming across the plains
from Saint Louis in 1844. But little is known of Mr. Sax-
ton, as he returned to "The States'' the following year,
and published a journal of his trip across the plains,
giving a description of Oregon, and dwelling at length
upon the importance of the country claimed by the United
States upon the North Pacific coast.
Mr. Foisy was a French Canadian by birth, a son of an
affluent leather merchant, and was born at Quebec in 1816.
After receiving a practical education in the French schools
2
332 GEO. H. HIMES.
of his native city, at the age of sixteen he was sent to an
English school in Vermont for a short time. His father
o
desiring that he should learn the leather business, kept
him about the tannery and store for eighteen months.
This proving uncongenial, and having a desire to acquire
a knowledge of printing, he learned the trade in a French
office. Determining to acquire a knowledge of English,
he left home early in 1837 and worked in a Cincinnati
office a short time, then in the Louisville Journal office two
months, and that fall went to Saint Louis, where he ob-
tained a situation on the Republican, remaining until the
close of 1843, when he gave up his job to prepare for the
overland trip to Oregon, and arrived at Spalding's mis-
sion at Lapwai as above stated. He worked in the mis-
sion printing office nearly a year, and in December, 1845,
went to French Prairie. The following spring he was
elected a member of the legislative committee from Cham-
poeg County — changed to Marion County in 1850. Soon
after he concluded to visit Canada, and started thither by
the way of California and the Nicaragua route. On reach-
ing California his homeward journey was temporarily
given up. Here he met the northwestern limits of the
Mexican war, and saw considerable active service under
Fremont. For a time he was the alcalde of Monterey,
and worked on the first newspaper printed in that place.2
When peace was declared in February, 1848, Mr. Foisy
once more started for his home, via Central America, but
was blockaded in the port of San Bias, Mexico. Soon he
was relieved by Captain Bailey of the United States Navy,
and taken back to Monterey. Here he remained until after
the delegates to form a state constitution were elected.
In that exciting event he took an active part against the
spread of slavery. The years 1849 and 1850 were for the
2 The Californian, first issued August 15, 1846.
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OP OREGON. 333
most part spent in the mines, and in the fall of the latter
year he gave up his contemplated trip to Canada and re-
turned to Oregon, bought a farm near the present site of
Gervais, and became one of the principal farmers of that
region, and was highly respected by all who knew him.
He died in 1879.
The next that is known about this mission press is in
June, 1846. A number of parties living at Salem, among
them Dr. W. H. Willson, Joseph Holman, Mr. Robinson,
Rev. David Leslie, J. B. McClane, and Rev. L. H. Judson,
desiring to issue a paper, sent Mr. Alanson Hinman, then
a teacher in Salem, now living in Forest Grove, on horse-
back to Whitman mission, to secure it for the purpose in-
dicated. Doctor Whitman was willing that it should be
used, but referred the matter to Mr. Spalding, at Lapwai,
where the press was located. Mr. Hinman rode there and
interviewed Mr. Spalding. He consented to have the press
go to the Willamette Valley, but not without the consent of
Messrs. Walker and Eells, who were at the Spokane mis-
sion. Accordingly Mr. Hinman secured an Indian guide
and rode thither and obtained their permission, but was
referred back to Messrs. Spalding and Whitman. Return-
ing to Lapwai, Mr. Hinman explained the situation to Mr.
Spalding, who made conditions which would give him
more control over the paper than the Salem parties were
willing to grant, hence they declined to take the plant.
However, Mr. Spalding sent the press to Doctor Whitman,
and he sent it on to Wascopum — The Dalles — where it
remained until after the Whitman massacre, November
29-30, 1847. Early in March, 1848, it was transferred by
Mr. Spalding to Rev. J. S. Griffin, who took it to the Tual-
atin Plains, near Hillsboro, and that year issued eight
numbers of a sixteen-page magazine called The Oregon
American and Evangelical Unionist. As it may be of in-
334 GEO. H. HIMES.
terest to show the scope of this publication, the following
is quoted from the prospectus in the first numbers :
It is devoted to American principles and interests, — To evangelical
religion and morals, — To general intelligence, foreign and domestic, -
To temperance and moral instrumentalities, generally, — To science,
literature and the arts, — To commerce and internal improvements, -
To agriculture and home manufactures, — To the description and de-
velopment of our natural resources, — To the physical, intellectual and
moral education of rising generations, — And to such well defined dis-
cussions generally, as are calculated to elevate and dignify the char-
acter of a free people.
Edited by Rev. J. S. Griffin, and printed by C. F. Putnam. Issued
once in two weeks.
The editor in his introduction says :
Our list of subjects, to which we are devoted, is not so much an ex-
pression of confidence in our humble ability to treat them all success-
fully, as to call attention of the writers generally, each to his chosen
department of interest and investigation, that all through a common
medium of communication, may mutually instruct and be instructed.
The first issue was on June 7th, although it is not dated.
It is evident that it did not appear as originally intended
from the following apology :
A train of unavoidables has prevented our first number appearing
as early as intended and its execution is by no means what may here-
after be expected.
We have much confidence in the young gentleman, Mr. Putman,
our publisher, who, being disappointed in obtaining his new ink roller
as expected, was left in the first number to the daubing use of a past-
recovery dried ink ball. Those acquainted with the difference in the
execution of the two instruments, know how to appreciate the apology.
Some typographical improvements, as well as improvements in the
general execution, may be looked for.
The following is taken from the prospectus :
Terms : $4.00 currency, or $3.00 in cash, if paid within three months;
$4.00 cash, or $5.00 in currency, if not paid at the end of three months;
if not paid at the end of six months, discontinued at the discretion of
the proprietor.
Advertisements at $1.50 per square of sixteen lines or less, for first
insertion ; and 75 cents per square for each subsequent insertion. A
liberal discount to yearly advertisers.
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OP OREGON. 335
N. B. — Companies of ten subscribers may pay in merchantable wheat
at merchant prices, delivered at any time (giving- us notice), at any
principal depot for wheat in the several counties, being themselves
responsible for its storage and delivery to our order. Duebills issued
by solvent merchants taken at their currency value.
We will not declare our days of issuing, until the next number, hop-
ing some mail opportunity may be secured, and if so, will issue on the
day most favorable for our immediate circulation.
Much space in the magazine is given to the history of
the Whitman massacre of November 29-30, 1847, by Rev.
H. H. Spalding, together with a discussion pro and con of
the causes leading up to it. In this discussion Peter H.
Burnett, a lawyer of Oregon City, and afterwards the first
governor of California, took a prominent part.
In No. 3, July 5, 1848, referring to President Folk's
message, the editor says it "manifests more interest about
Mexico than about Oregon."
After No. 7 was issued the paper suspended for several
months. This suspension was caused, so the editor states,
by some one opposed to his views on the causes leading
to the Whitman massacre hiring the printer to break his
contract and go off \o the mines. Early in 1849 another
printer3 was secured, and on May 23d, No. 8 appeared.
This was the last number issued.
Fully thirty years ago Mr. Griffin placed the press in
the custody of the Oregon Pioneer Association, and now
it is in the possession of the Oregon Historical Society.
Rev. John Smith Griffin was born in Castleton, Ver-
mont, in 1807. He was educated in various schools in
New England and Ohio, finishing his theological course
in Oberlin, where he was ordained a minister of the Con-
gregational Church. The church at Litchfield, Connecti-
cut, secured an equipment and sent him to Oregon in
1839 as an independent missionary to the Indians. In
1840 he endeavored to start a mission among the Snakes,
3 His name was Frank Johnson, an apprentice of the Spectator and afterwards
of the Free Press, and now is a professor in the University of Chicago.
336 GEO. H. HIMES.
but failing he and his wife went to the Tualatin Plains in
1841 and began the first white settlement in what is now
Washington County. On May 2, 1843, he was at Cham-
poeg, and voted in favor of the first civil government in
Oregon. He was pastor of the first church in Washing-
ton County for a time. He died in February, 1899.
Charles F. Putnam, printer, was born in Lexington,
Kentucky, July 7, 1824. He learned the printing trade
in New York City, and in 1846 came to Oregon, settling
in Polk County. In 1847 he was married to Miss Rozelle,
the eldest daughter of Jesse Applegate, who came to Ore-
gon from Missouri in 1843. When he contracted with
Mr. Griffin to print his paper, he taught his wife to set
type, and thus she became the first woman typesetter on
the Pacific Coast. Mr. Putnam left the Willamette Valley
for Umpqua Valley in the fall of 1849, and settled near
Mount Yoncalla. He is still living, though quite feeble,
near the town of Drain.
Early in 1844 it became evident to the leading spirits
of the infant settlement at Oregon City that its interests
would be greatly promoted by a press, and accordingly,
after much discussion as to methods of management, the
Oregon Printing Association was organized, the officers
of which were as follows : W. G. T'Vault, president ;
J. W. Nesmith, vice president ; John P. Brooks, secretary ;
George Abernethy, treasurer; Robert Newell, John E.
Long, and John R. Couch, directors. The press used was
a Washington hand press, bed twenty-five by thirty-eight
inches . The plant was procured in New York through the
instrumentality of Governor George Abernethy, although
he was reimbursed by the Printing Association in due
time.
The constitution of the association was as follows :
In order to promote science, temperance, morality, and general in-
telligence; to establish a printing press; to publish a monthly, semi-
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OP OREGON. 337
monthly or weekly paper in Oregon — the undersigned do hereby asso-
ciate ourselves together in a body, to be governed by such rules and
regulations as shall, from time to time, be adopted by a majority of the
stockholders of this compact in a regularly called and properly notified
meeting.
The "Articles of Compact" numbered XI ; all but the
eighth article refer to the method of doing business, and
are similar in their provisions to the by-laws of our incor-
porations of to-day. The eighth article touched vitally
the editor's duties, and is as follows :
ART. 8. The press owned by or in connection with this association
shall never be used by any party for the purpose of propagating sec-
tarian principles or doctrines, nor for the discussion of exclusive party
politics.
The Printing Association was jealous of the editorial
control of the paper. Provision was made for amending
all articles except the eighth. The shares of stock were
$10 each, and article ten provides for the method of trans-
ferring the same ; also the distribution of dividends — an
emergency that never occurred ; and in that respect the
experience of the first newspaper men of the Pacific Coast
was not unlike that of some of their brethren of these later
days. The name selected for their paper was the Oregon
Spectator, and it was first issued at Oregon City on Thurs-
day, February 5, 1846. The motto was "Westward the
Star of Empire takes its Way." The printer was John
Fleming, who came to Oregon in the immigration of 1844.
The size of the Spectator page at first was eleven and
one half by seventeen inches, with four pages, four col-
umns to the page, and was issued semimonthly. The first
editor was Col. William G. T'Vault, a pioneer of 1845, who
was then postmaster general of the Provisional Govern-
ment. His editorial salary was at the rate of $300 a year.
It is believed that he was of Scotch-Irish and French de-
scent, and a native of Kentucky. He was a lawyer by
profession, although it is said that he had had some edi-
338 GKO. H. HIMES.
torial experience in Arkansas. While he was an uncom-
promising democrat of the Jeffersonian school, and never
so happy as when promulgating his principles in the
most positive way, the constitution of the Printing Asso-
ciation made it necessary that the editor should eschew
politics. However well he may have tried to do this, his
efforts evidently did not please the association, because
in the issue of April 2, 1846, his valedictory appears.
The contents of the first issue of The Spectator are as
follows :
First page : Organic laws of Oregon, as recommended
by the legislative committee ; an act to prevent the intro-
duction, sale and distillation of ardent spirits, both cer-
tified to by John E. Long, secretary of the Provisional
Government ; an infallible remedy for lowness of spirits ;
good advice.
Second page : The editor's salutatory, defining the atti-
tude of the paper ; to correspondents, stating that no notice
can be taken of anonymous communications ; city gov-
ernment, saying that the time has arrived for a thorough
organization, urging that it "dig up the stumps, grade
the streets, tax dogs, prohibit hogs, and advertise in The
Spectator;' calling on some of the "Old Settlers" to give
an "account of the climate, soil, and productions of Ore-
gon,' ' stating that this "would all be news to people away
east in Missouri and other states ;' an item deprecating
controversies ; announcement that Captain Knighton will
give a ball on the 24th instant at the City Hotel ; item
calling attention to F. W. Pettygrove's stock of goods ;
appointments by the Governor — Wm. G. T'Vault, pros-
ecuting attorney, vice M. A. Ford, and H. M. Knighton,
marshal, vice J. L. Meek, resigned ; reference to the
"Two-thirds law" of Illinois ; item relating to a serious
accident to Mr. Wallace of the Oregon Milling Company
as a result of coming in contact with a circular saw ; an
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 339
item on "Slander;' communication from "New Emi-
grant,' whose "heart's desire is," among other things,
"that Oregon may be saved from intemperance, and that
our beloved little colony may continue free, and become
great and good ;" communication by David Leslie, giving
a sketch of the life of Rev. Jason Lee.
Third page : A number of clippings, among them Frank-
lin's Advice to Editors ; an original poem on "Love,"
signed "M. J. B." — Mrs. Margaret J. Bailey ; announcement
of the postmaster general "To Persons Wishing to Send
Letters East ;" ship news, giving "The arrivals and depart-
ure from Baker's Bay, Columbia River, since March 12,
1845," showing nine arrivals and eleven departures ; "List
of officers of H. B. M. sloop of war Modeste, now lying at
Vancouver, Columbia River ;" death notice, Miss Julia Ann
Stratuff, aged about fourteen years : then advertisements
as follows : "Mail Contracts to Let — Route No. 1 : From
Oregon City to Fort Vancouver, once in two weeks, by
water. Route No. 2 : From Oregon City to Hill's in Twality
County ; thence to A. J. Hembree's in Yam Hill County ;
thence to Andrew Smith's by Yam Hill County ; thence
to N. Ford's, Polk County; thence to Oregon Institute,
Champoeg County ; thence to Catholic Mission and Cham-
poeg to Oregon City, once in two weeks, on horseback.
The contractor will enter into bond and security, to be
approved by the postmaster general;" signed by W. G.
T'Vault. A. Lawrence Lovejoy, attorney and counsellor at
law and solicitor in chancery; Masonic notice to secure a
charter for a lodge — the first on the Pacific Coast; signed
by Joseph Hull, P. G. Stewart, and Wm. P. Dougherty.
Notice of George Abernethy and Alanson Beers that they
had bought the business of the Oregon Milling Company.
Adminstrator's notice of estate of Ewing Young, signed
by Lovejoy. City Hotel, H. M. Knighton, proprietor, who
says "His table shall not be surpassed in the territory," and
340 GEO. H. HIMES.
that those "who favor him with a call from the west side
of the river, will receive horse ferriage free." "The Red
House and Portland" heads an advertisement three and a
half inches long of F. W. Pettygrove's general merchan-
dise store. This is the first time anything appears show-
ing approximately the date when Portland was so named.
John Travers and William Glaser announce that they have
begun manufacturing hats, and will take "wool, beaver,
otter, raccoon, wild-cat, muskrat, and mink skins in ex-
change." Notice by Pettygrove to the effect that John B.
Rutter, Astoria, is wanted to take charge of a box of medi-
cine which was consigned to him from New York. Notice
of Abernethy & Beers stating their terms for grinding
"merchantable wheat." Notice by C. E. Pickett that he
has town lots for sale on the lower part of his claim, "just
at the foot of the Clackamas rapids." Announcement of
The Spectator terms — $5 in advance ; if not paid until the
expiration of three months, $6.
Fourth page : Post office law of the Provisional Gov-
ernment, approved December 23, 1845 ; Constitution of
the Printing Association ; three clippings, one entitled
"The Fall of Empires," the other about "Morse's Electro-
Magnetic Telegraph," and the last from the St. Louis Dem-
ocrat, speaking of an emigrating party of the father, mother,
and twenty children. The editor says "Their destination
we did not learn, but think it not improbable the old man
is about settling a colony in Oregon."
Colonel T'Vauit was a marked character in the early
history of Oregon, and he made warm friends and bitter
enemies. He was chosen a member of the legislature of
the Provisional Government June 4, 1846. In June, 1858,
he was elected a representative to the first territorial legis-
lature, and was chosen speaker at the special session from
May 16 to June 4, 1859. In 1851 he established an ex-
press line between Winchester, on the Umpqua River, to
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 341
Yreka, California. In the years following he took an
active part in the trying scenes of the Rogue River war,
part of the time being a volunteer aid to Governor Joseph
Lane. In 1855 he, in company with Messrs. Taylor and
Blakely, established the Umpqua Gazette at Scottsburg,
the first paper south of Salem, and moved it to Jackson-
ville soon after. The name was then changed to the Table
Rock Sentinel, and it was first issued on November 24th.
Soon after the paper was started it became noised abroad
that T' Vault was tainted with abolitionism. This was too
much for the stout-hearted old democrat, so he wrote a
personal article over his own signature, denying in the
most positive manner all sympathy for, or affiliation with,
the abolition idea ; and among other things he said that
if "I thought there was one drop of abolition blood in my
veins I would cut it out.' That declaration was wholly
satisfactory, and thereafter until the close of his life there
was never any question as to his political faith. He was
the principal editor of the paper, and his connection writh
it ceased in 1859, after the name had been changed to the
Oregon Sentinel. His next editorial experience was in
1863, when he issued the Intelligencer in Jacksonville from
the plant of the Civilian, then defunct. This enterprise
failed in a few months, and was his last effort in journal-
ism. He remained in Southern Oregon until the close of
his life, having something of a law practice, and died
from an attack of smallpox early in 1869.
At this point it is not out of place to give the personnel
of the other members of the Printing Association as far as
possible. James Willis Nesmith came to Oregon from
Maine in 1843, at the age of twenty-three ; in 1845 he was
elected supreme judge of Oregon under the Provisional
Government ; in 1848, captain in the Cayuse Indian war ;
in 1853, captain in the Rogue-river Indian war; in 1855-
1856 colonel in the Yakima Indian war ; in 1857 he was
342 GEO. H. HIMES.
appointed superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon and
Washington, and held that position two years ; in 1860
he was a candidate for presidential elector on the Douglas
democratic ticket ; that fall he was elected United States
senator ; in 1873 he was elected a member of Congress.
He filled every position with conspicuous ability. He
died June 17, 1885.
John P. Brooks taught the first school of any kind in
Oregon City, under the patronage of the late Sidney W.
Moss, in the year 1844-45 ; when he came to Oregon is
not known. In the late forties and early fifties he was in
business at Oregon City. He died many years ago, date
unknown.
George Abernethy was at the head of the Provisional
Government. He was born in New York in 18C7, and
came to Oregon in 1840. He had much to do with large
milling and mercantile enterprises, and died in 1877.
Robert Newell was a typical "mountain man," and spent
many years of his early life on the frontier in trapping.
He was born at Zanesville, Ohio, in 1807. He came to
Oregon in 1840 and brought a wagon from Fort Hall to
Doctor Whitman's mission — the first to arrive there, and
he brought it on to the Willamette Valley, making it the
first wagon in Western Oregon. He was at Champoeg on
May 2, 1843, and voted for civil government. He died at
Lewiston, Idaho, in 1869.
John H. Couch was born at Newburyport, Massachusetts,
February 21, 1811. In 1840 be brought the brig Mary-
land into the Columbia River, and up the Willamette to
Oregon City. He made a second trip to the Columbia in
1843, and soon after engaged in the mercantile business
at Oregon City. In 1845 he located a donation land claim
near the then townsite of Portland, all of which was in-
cluded within the corporate limits of that city many years
ago. He was the treasurer of the Provisional Government,
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 343
and held a number of places of trust in the city of his
adoption. As early as October, 1849, in company with
Benjamin Stark, he did a banking business in Portland,
in addition to general merchandising. He died in Janu-
ary, 1870.
John Fleming, the first printer of the Spectator, came to
Oregon from Ohio. He was appointed postmaster in 1856,
and held that office until 1869. He died at that place
December 2, 1872, aged seventy-eight years.
In glancing through the pages of the Spectator numer-
ous references are made to the primitive conditions then
existing, some of which are here given.
As postmaster general Colonel T'Vault was compelled
to conduct affairs on an economical basis. Fifty dollars
was appropriated by the legislature of 1845 to establish
a post office department. Accordingly, in February, 1846,
post offices and postmasters were appointed in the several
counties south of the Columbia River, and full instruc-
tions published concerning their respective duties. The
rates between any Oregon post office and Weston, Missouri,
were fifty cents for a single sheet. Nine months later the
postmaster general declined further responsibility in the
matter of mail service, stating that the mail had been
carried for three quarters, but the receipts had been insuf-
ficient to pay for the transportation of the mail for one
quarter.
In the Spectator of April 16, 1846, the name of Henry
A. G. Lee appears as editor. He was the choice of the
Printing Association at the beginning, but he wanted a
salary of $600, and that was considered too high. At this
date there were one hundred and fifty-five subscribers,
but an editorial item says there ought to be five hundred
in the existing population. Lee's connection with the
paper ceased with the issue of August 6, 1846.
Mr. Lee deserves more than a passing mention. He
344 GEO. H. HIMES.
was a native of Virginia, and descended from Richard
Lee, founder of the Old Dominion family of that name.
He was well educated and prepared himself for the min-
istry, but did not follow that profession because some
doubts arose in his mind as to the inspiration of the Bible.
He came to Oregon in 1843 and spent the first winter at
Wai-il-et-pu. He was a man of much more than average
ability, but very reticent when speaking of himself or
family. In December, 1847, he assisted in raising the
first company of volunteers to punish the Cayuse Indians
for the murder of Dr. Marcus Whitman, his wife, and
twelve others, and was elected captain. Soon after he
was promoted to major, and a little later appointed peace
commissioner. Not long after that he was chosen colonel
of the regiment to succeed Col. Cornelius Gilliam, who
lost his life by an accident, but returned his commission
because he thought it should be given to Lieut. Col. James
Waters. When the war was ended he was appointed
superintendent of Indian affairs by Governor George
Abernethy, and rendered good service in treating with the
Indians. After that duty was performed he went to the
California gold mines and was successful. Upon return-
ing, he brought a stock of goods, and formed a copart-
nership with S. W. Moss, having already been married
to his daughter. In the fall of 1850 he went to New York
with a large sum of money, to buy more goods, and on
his return trip he had an attack of the Panama fever,
which caused his death. If he had lived to return he
doubtless would have figured largely in the political affairs
of the then young territory.
In the Spectator of July 9, 1846, there is a full account
of the first 4th of July celebration in Oregon, and prob-
ably on the Pacific Coast. Thirteen regular toasts were
given, and the last one is in these words : " The Ameri-
can ladies — accomplished , beautiful , and useful . If every
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON.- 345
Oregonian swain was possessed of one, we could exclaim,
' Oregon is safe under the Stars and Stripes.' This was
really true at the time, the treaty fully making Oregon a
part of the United States having been signed June 15th
preceding ; but it was not known in Oregon until No-
vember 12th following, and then the news was brought
by Benjamin Stark on a sailing vessel from Sandwich
Islands. The oration was delivered by Peter H. Burnett,
a pioneer of 1843, afterward the first governor of Califor-
nia, elected as such by the vote of Oregonians who had
gone with him to the mines, and who held the balance of
power there.
On September 17, 1846, reference is made to a memo-
rial prepared by Capt. George Wilkes on the subject of a
national railroad between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,
presented to Congress in December, 1845, asking the leg-
islature to indorse it.
From August 6th to October 1, 1846, John Fleming,
the printer, edited the Spectator. Then George L. Curry,
fresh from Saint Louis by way of the plains, having come
by the southern route through the famous Cow Creek
Canyon, being with the first immigrant party that ever
entered the Oregon territory from that direction, was
installed as editor. Among other things he proposed to
do was to give the paper a "firm and consistent American
tone.' In this number the war with Mexico is fore-
shadowed.
In the issue of September 5th, Mr. Curry speaks in
high terms of the many conditions of Oregon society,
and among other things says :
We feel unfeigned pleasure in announcing to the world that the
social, moral, political, and religious state of society in Oregon is at
least as elevated and enlightened as can be witnessed in any of the
territorial or frontier settlements east of the Rocky Mountains.
346 GEO. H. HIMES.
He admits, however, that the people may be behind
hand in the matter of good clothes. To offset this they
are congratulated upon having but few real loafers among
them.
For the next eleven months but little is known about
the paper, except that Mr. Curry was the editor. The
printer was changed, John Fleming retiring, and N. W.
Colwell, who also came in 1845, taking his place.
In the issue of October 15, 1846, it is announced that
a roll of the Spectator's subscribers was called, but as they
did not answer paid, according to the necessary require-
ments in every well regulated newspaper office, the suf-
ferings of all connected with the establishment were made
intolerable.
On September 2, 1847, Mr. Curry apologizes for the
lack of editorial matter by saying that he had gone to
climb Mount Hood. Two weeks later it is apparent that
the trip was not successful. At this time the printer
was W. P. Hudson, who came to Oregon in 1846, Mr. Col-
well having retired. He had been the printer for several
months, and in addition to printing the paper, printed a
spelling book, the first English book issued on the Pacific
Coast. This bore the date of February 1, 1847. During
the fall of that year Mr. Hudson printed an almanac —
the first on the Pacific Coast — for the year 1848. This
was compiled by Henry H. Everts. Through this source
it is learned that there were eight counties in the terri-
tory— Clackamas, Champoeg, Tualatin, Yamhill, Polk,
Clatsop, Vancouver, and Lewis — their area being all of the
territory now included in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and
those parts of Montana and Wyoming west of the Rocky
Mountains. This was a publication of twenty-four pages,
five by seven inches, and in addition to the twelve usual
calendar pages and remarks on astronomical matters, it
contained a list of the officers of the Provisional Govern-
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 347
ment, the members of the legislature, lists of officers for
each county, times and places of holding courts, a list of
the officers of the United States in Oregon, and in addi-
tion the following interesting information : Public debt,
October 1, 1847, $3,243.31 ; population, same date, about
six thousand ; vote for governor on the first Monday in
June, 1847, one thousand and seventy-four ; immigration
now beginning to arrive, about three thousand ; estimated
annual value of imports and exports, about $130,000 ;
estimated amount of wheat raised in the territory for the
last two years, about one hundred and fifty thousand
bushels each year. After the calendar pages the follow-
ing appears : Summary of the Mexican war; Agricultural;
Table of Important Scientific Discoveries and Inventions
from 2224 B. c. to 1844 A. D.; a few paragraphs upon the
value of correct habits ; a short poem in blank verse on
"Charity;" and an eight-line rhyme entitled a "Receipt
for a Wife."
Mr. Hudson went to the gold mines in the fall of 1848.
He soon found a rich gulch from which he dug $21,000.
He then returned to Oregon, but did not remain long. He
took passage by sailing vessel for San Francisco in Decem-
ber, 1850, and died at sea while on the way thither.
While not strictly connected with the newspaper history
of Oregon, it is not out of place to give a brief account
of the spelling book above referred to.
It was an abridgment of the old Webster's Elemen-
tary Spelling Book, and was about two thirds the size of
the original, the long words and quaint illustrations in
the back being omitted. As this was practically a foreign
country at that time, the printer was not particularly
sensitive about violating the copyright law. After this
book was printed the question of binding became a seri-
ous one, there being no binder in the settlement, so far
3
348 GEO. H. HIMES.
as known. With the immigration of 1846 there came a
bookbinder, who some time after his arrival went to Ore-
gon City. His name was Carlos W. Shane, and he had
learned his trade in the Methodist Book Concern, Cincin-
nati, where he had been employed a number of years
prior to coming to Oregon. Instinctively gravitating to-
ward the printing office, he discovered the unbound sheets
and was awarded the job of binding them. Improvising
such implements as he needed, with the crude material
at hand, he bound up the edition, numbering eight hun-
dred copies, which was soon absorbed by the primitive
schools then existing. For years effort has been made to
secure a copy of this book, but so far without success. I
have, however, obtained a fragment of the book, prob-
ably twenty pages. These I found in a farmhouse garret
near Oregon City, about eight years ago, where it had
been placed, doubtless, by the original owner of the
place, the late M. M. McCarver, a pioneer of 1843, writh
other old documents, more than forty years before. More
than a dozen years ago the whereabouts of a perfect copy
was discovered, but upon further investigation it proved
that this book, a number of early newspaper files, a lot of
miscellaneous letters, all of undoubted historic value, had
been considered "worthless trash,' and burned. Mr.
Shane taught a number of the very early schools in Clacka-
mas County, was something of a rhymester, and a fre-
quent contributor of verse as well as prose to the press of
the early days. He was a man of fine clerical ability,
and for many years followed conveyancing. He died at
Vancouver, Washington, in 1901.
In due time the censorship exercised by the printing
association over his utterances on the editorial pages of
the Spectator caused Mr. Curry to resign his position early
in 1848.
Mr. Curry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 349
July 2, 1820. From 1824 to 1829 he lived with his parents
in Caracas, South America. On returning to the United
States, the family settled in Boston. At the age of eleven
he was apprenticed to a jeweler. One of his fellow-work-
men was the late Hon. William D. Kelley, of Pennsylvania.
All spare moments were employed in study and reading.
He developed literary tastes quite early, and read original
poems and delivered addresses before the Mechanics' Ap-
prentice Library in Boston, of which he was a member and
president for two years. He became a resident of Saint
Louis in 1843, where he formed an acquaintance with
Joseph M. Field, the actor and manager, father of Miss
Kate Field, and with him published the Reveille. In 1846
he started to Oregon, arriving at Oregon City August 30th.
After leaving the Spectator he bought about eighty pounds
of type from the Catholic missionaries and determined to
start an opposition paper.
It was difficult for Mr. Curry to decide upon a name,
and he sought advice from Peter G. Stewart, a personal
friend. "Why," said the latter, "since you don't want
to be muzzled, why not call it the Free Press ?' The sug-
gestion pleased Mr. Curry, and the name was adopted.
The motto was the following :
"Here shall the Press the people's rights maintain,
Unawed by influence, and unbribed by gain."
Having no press he caused one to be made, mainly out
of wood — a rude affair. The type, having been used to
print the French language, had but few letter w's. The
editor had to write without double u's, but the country
and its inhabitants were too weird and wild and wonder-
ful, and his own fancy too warm, and his ways too winning
for him not to be willing to wield a pen as free and un-
trammeled as were his surroundings ; so he whittled a
number of w's out of hard wood to supply the deficiency.
350 GEO. H. HIMES.
This feature gave the paper an unique appearance, and
was really one of its attractions. The first issue of this
paper was in March, 1848. It contained four pages, seven
and one half by fifteen inches, two columns to the page.
During this month Mr. Curry was married to Miss Chloe
Boone, daughter of Col. Alphonso Boone, a great grandson
of Daniel Boone. In October, 1848, the paper stopped,
mainly because of the rush of people to the mines. In
1853 Mr. Curry was appointed secretary of the territory
by President Pierce, and soon became acting governor.
He was appointed governor in November, 1854, and held
that office until 1859, when the state government was
formed. It was during his administration that the Yak-
ima Indian war of 1855-56 was fought. On January 1,
1861, he became a partner and coeditor with S. J. McCor-
mick in the Portland Daily Advertiser, and continued that
relation until the paper suspended about two years later.
The Advertiser was the second daily in Portland and was
issued by S. J. McCormick on May 31, 1859 .4 After the
Advertiser died Mr. Curry remained in private life until
he died on July 28, 1878, aged fifty-eight years.
The earliest perfect copy of the Oregon Free Press that
is known bears the date of August 26, 1848. Its contents
are as follows :
Page one : Comparisons between the London and Paris
daily press. This shows the largest circulation of a news-
paper in London to be twenty-nine thousand and in Paris,
thirty -three thousand. The price of the Paris dailies runs
from $7.25 to $21 ; the London Times is nearly $32 per
annum ; California exports and imports ; an article on
"Poverty ;' general news items.
4 The first daily newspaper in Oregon was the Portland Daily News, issued
April 18, 1859, by S. A. English and Win. B. Taylor. Its first editor was Alonzo
Leland, but his services were soon dispensed with and E. D. Shattuck became
the editor. The paper in the beginning had four pages, each ten and one half
by fifteen inches, with four columns.
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 351
Page two : Local news items about Oregon, exports to
Sandwich Islands, burning of Indian houses, a stabbing
affray, a communication relating to the distribution of
arms and ammunition by the Catholic missionaries among
the Indians, report of a meeting preliminary to organizing
a medical society ; latest foreign intelligence by way of a
paper from the City of Mexico, announcing among other
things, the escape of Louis Philippe, and news from The
Dalles, inquiring into the reason why so nftich ammuni-
tion is being distributed by priests among the Indians.
Then follows the advertisements : Notice is given that a
meeting will be held at Lafayette to organize an associa-
tion to protect land claims ; John Cooper says he is about
to start overland to California with pack animals ; Holder-
ness & Company are ready to pay cash for produce ; F. W.
Pettygrove & Company, at Oregon City, Portland, and
Champoeg plead for business — the company being A. E.
Wilson and David McLoughlin.
Page four : An original poem, "A Poor Man's Thoughts;"
three miscellaneous items; notice of W. B. Chatfield as
administrator of Joel Wilcox; Couch and Crosby's an-
nouncement that they have just received a stock of new
goods at their stores in Oregon City and Portland; the
appeal of H. Clark for business on the plea that he has
opened a new store on Main street, Oregon City ; the proc-
lamation of S. W. Moss that his Main Street Hotel is the
largest and most commodious public house in Oregon,
"where the public are entertained free of charge, because
the proprietor always takes pay in hand ;" the announce-
ment of Kilborn, Lawton & Company, as commission mer-
chants; C. L. Ross, proprietor of the "New York Store,"
San Francisco ; P. G. Stewart, clock and watchmaker, the
first in Oregon ; and the medical card of Doctor Carpenter.
On February 10, 1848, the Spectator was enlarged to
twenty-four columns and Aaron E. Wait, a native of
352 GEO. H. HIMES.
Massachusetts, born on December 13, 1813, who had
arrived the previous September, became the editor, hav-
ing been employed by Governor Abernethy. He desired
to make the paper a medium of communication accept-
able to all, of whatever political or sectarian preference.
By this time the rule of the Printing Association had
been modified to some extent. Mr. Wait edited a demo-
cratic paper in Michigan in 1844, during the exciting
political campaign of that year, and had the power of
quickly adapting himself to circumstances — an indispen-
sable requirement in newspaper work. The first news
from the democratic national convention in that eventful
year gave the names of Hon. Mr. Blank and Hon. Mr.
Blank as the successful nominees. Mr. Wait wrote the
accustomed editorial congratulating the people upon the
ability of the chosen standard bearers, and promising his
heartiest support and placing the names at the masthead.
After the paper had gone to press the news came that
Polk and Dallas had secured the nominations. Mr. Wait
hurried to the office, caused the latter names to be in-
serted, and the press was started again. What he had
written in the first place answered for the last candidates
as well.
In those early days it was as common to slur Oregon
weather as it is nowadays, for, on December 14th, Editor
Wait takes exception to it, and, among other things, says :
"For the year ending November 30th there have been 240
clear days, 25 days on which it rained or snowed all day,
and 101 days on which it rained, hailed, snowed, or was
cloudy part of the day.'
The only exchanges of the Spectator at this time were
one at Honolulu, and two small papers in California, one
in San Francisco and the other at Monterey, which were
brought semi-occasionally by vessels. Papers and letters
arrived from the "States" once a year. Thus, it may be
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 353
seen, that an editor in those days must have been a man
of resources.
On September 7th the Spectator suspended, the printer,
John Fleming, going to the mines. Publication was re-
sumed on October 12th, with S. Bentley, printer. At this
date the editor apologizes as follows :
The Spectator, after a temporary sickness, greets its patrons, and
hopes to serve them faithfully, and as heretofore, regularly. That
"gold fever," which has swept about three thousand of the officers,
lawyers, physicians, farmers, and mechanics of Oregon, from the
plains of Oregon into the mines of California, took away our printer
also — hence the temporary non-appearance of the Spectator.
In 1848 Judge Wait drew the deed by which Francis
W. Pettygrove conveyed the Portland townsite of six hun-
dred and forty acres to Daniel H. Lownsdale, the con-
sideration being $5,000 in leather.
With the issue of February 22, 1849, Mr. Wait's con-
nection with the paper ceased. During the Cayuse war,
1847-48, Mr. Wait was assistant commissary general.
Prior to leaving Massachusetts he had studied law, and
was admitted to the bar in Michigan in 1841. At the
first election after Oregon became a state — 1859 — he was
elected one of the judges of the supreme court, and was
chief justice for four years. At the close of his official
career he resumed his law practice and continued until he
acquired a competency, when he retired, although still
retaining an active interest in public affairs, and fre-
quently contributing to the press. He lived to the ad-
vanced age of eighty-five, and died in 1898.
Soon after Mr. Wait's connection with the Spectator was
ended, it suspended publication. On October 4, 1849, it
again appeared with Rev. Wilson Blain, a clergyman of
the United Presbyterian Church, as editor, and George B.
354 GEO. H. HIMES.
Goudy,5 printer. On February 7, 1850, the paper was re-
duced to sixteen columns on account of a shortage in the
paper supply. On April 18, 1850, Robert Moore, then pro-
prietor of Linn City, opposite Oregon City, became owner,
Blain being retained as editor. In this issue he says :
We find the opinion that Oregon should be immediately erected into
a state much more prevalent than we had anticipated, * * and we feel
impelled to warmly urge it on public attention. * * Time was when
Oregon enjoyed a large share of public attention, * * but things have
greatly changed in the last two years. Oregon has passed almost
entirely into the shade. * * We rarely see Oregon mentioned in the
papers received from the States, while California, Deseret, and New
Mexico engrossed a very considerable part of public attention.
On July llth the size was increased to twenty columns
and on July 25th to twenty-four columns. In this issue
appears a prospectus of The Oregon Statesman. After stat-
ing what it is going to be in religion, in morals, and in
politics, which it says will be democratic, — the prospectus
goes on to say that "The Statesman will be 116 inches
larger than The Spectator," and places the subscription
price at the lowest mark — $7 per annum, and $4 for six
months. It was to be published weekly at Oregon City
by Henry Russell and A. W. Stock well. The Spectator
of August 8th contains the announcement that a whig
journal — The Oregonian — is to be published at Portland
by T. J. Dryer, a "stump speaker of power and a pun-
gent writer.' On September 5th Blain ended his career
as editor.
Mr. Blain was born in Ross County, Ohio, February 28,
1813. He was graduated at Miami University, Oxford,
Ohio, in 1835. He completed the full course of study at
the Associate Reformed Theological Seminary at Alle-
5 George B. Goudy came to Oregon in 1849. In 1852 he worked on the Oregonian.
In 1853 he went to Olympia, and soon after became one of the publishers of the
Pioneer and Democrat. In 1855-5(5, during the Yakima war, he commanded Com-
pany "C," of which H. W. Scott, now of the Oregonian, was a member. Mr. Goudy
died September 19, 1857, at Olympia, in his 29th year.
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 355
gheny, Pennsylvania, was licensed to preach by the first
presbytery of Ohio on April 18, 1838, and was ordained
by the presbytery of Chillicothe, Ohio, October 17, 1839.
He had pastoral charge of the congregation at Hebron,
Indiana, until May 15, 1847, when he began preparing
for the journey to Oregon as a missionary. He started
on May 8, 1848, and arrived at Oregon City on November
29th. Soon afterwards he organized a small church — the
first of his denomination in Oregon. On June 6, 1849, he
was elected to the upper branch of the first territorial legis-
lature. In November, 1850, Mr. Blain removed to Union
Point, Linn County, and organized a church over which
he was installed pastor in 1853. He was a prime mover
in the organization of the United Presbyterian Church
there. He established an academy at Union Point, in
which he was manager and teacher until 1856. These
exacting duties, in connection with his ministry, injured
his health, and he died on February 22, 1861.
On September 12, the Spectator was first issued weekly
with D. J. Schnebly, as editor, and the subscription price
raised to $7 per annum.
On September 26th the paper was again reduced to six-
teen columns, and the editor says :
This is a matter of perplexity to us and a great disappointment to
our subscribers ; but it is a matter over which we have no control. A
large supply is expected soon, as it has been seven months on the way
from New York.
On October 17th the former size is resumed, and the
names of John Fleming and T. F. McElroy appear as
printers ; and on the 31st the editor, in acknowledging the
gift of a chair, says that it is the "first one that has been
in the sanctum for seven weeks, and that the donors have
a few more left at the rate of $30 per dozen."
On November 28th there apppeared an advertisement
for a railroad from "Milton and St. Helens to LaFayette,"
356 GEO. H. HIMES.
and the enterprise is referred to as a "Brilliant Chance for
Investment," and in the opinion of "competent judges"
the cost is estimated at $500,000. The advertisement goes
on to say that "From the unusual amount of stock taken
abroad, and from the fact that every possible arrangement
has been made for its speedy completion, it is confidently
believed that the work will be finished in six months."
The advertisement is signed by W. H. Tappan, St. Helens,
and Crosby & Smith, Milton. An "N. B." is added to the
notice in which it is stated, in italics, that "It is almost
useless to add that the terminus of this road should be at
a point that can be reached with safety by large vessels at
any season and at any stage of the river" — a thrust at
the pretensions of the village of Portland to be a com-
mercial point.
Beginning with Vol. VI, No. 1, September 9, 1851, Mr.
Schnebly became owner of the Spectator. In November
following he secured C. P. Culver as associate editor.
At this time T. F. McElroy and C. W. Smith were the
printers. A few weeks later T. D. Watson and G. D. R.
Boyd became the printers. In the issue of November
25th Mr. Schnebly complains bitterly because there is
only a semimonthly mail between Oregon City and Port-
land. On February 3, 1852, the Spectator became for the
first time a distinctively political journal, and espoused
the cause of the whig party. On March 16, 1852, it was
suspended, and did not resume business until August 19,
1853. After this date the paper was not well supported,
and gradually it grew weaker and weaker, and finally was
sold by Mr. Schnebly to C. L. Goodrich, late in 1854, and
was permanently suspended in March, 1855.
Soon afterwards the plant was sold to W. L. Adams, a
pioneer of 1847, for $1,200. He used it in starting the
Oregon City Argus, which was issued on April 21, 1855,
and was the first distinctively republican paper in Oregon,
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 357
if not on the Pacific Coast. Prior to this time he had
become well known as a teacher, and as a forcible political
writer and speaker. He wrote in the Oregonian over the
signature of " Junius," and was the author of a locally
famous political satire entitled "Brakespear: or Treason,
Stratagems, and Spoils." This was published in the Ore-
gonian of February 14 and 21, and March 6 and 13, 1852,
and afterwards printed in pamphlet form, and illustrated
with a number of rude cartoons — the first attempt of the
kind in the territory — which added spice to the text.
The leading democrats of that day, among them Judge
Matthew P. Deady, Judge 0. C. Pratt, Asahel Bush, editor
of the Oregon Statesman, John Orvis Waterman, editor
of the Oregon Weekly Tim.es, Col. William M. King, and
Gen. Joseph Lane, were mercilessly caricatured. All were
veiled under fictitious names, but the peculiarities and
characteristics of each one were so aptly described that
the disguises did not hide their identity.
Mr. Adams was born in Painesville, Ohio, on February
5, 1821, both parents emigrating from Vermont to Ohio
when it was a wilderness. On his father's side he is con-
nected with the Adams' family of Massachusetts, and his
mother, whose name was Allen, descended from Ethan
Allen of Ticonderoga fame. He went to school at the
academy in Milan, Ohio, for a time, and obtained through
his own efforts a classical education at Bethany College,
Virgina. He came to Oregon in 1848, and the first thing
he did, after locating a claim in Yamhill County, was to
join with his neighbors in building a schoolhouse, wherein
he taught the children of the settlers during the follow-
ing winter.
As a master of cutting invective he was rarely equalled
and never surpassed. His proficiency in this direction,
together with similiar qualifications on the part of two of
his territorial contemporaries, gave rise to what was lo-
358 GEO. H. HIMES.
cally known as the "Oregon Style." He was fearless and
audacious to the fullest degree, had the pugnacity of a
bulldog, never happier than when lampooning his oppo-
nents, and his efforts were untiring. He was one of the
leading spirits in organizing the republican party in Ore-
gon, and on February 11, 1857, at the "Free State Repub-
lican Convention," held in Albany, was appointed chairman
of a committee of three to prepare an address to the people
of the Territory of Oregon. As a reward for diligent
efforts as a speaker and writer in the arduous campaign
closing on November 6, 1860, by which Oregon was car-
ried for Lincoln by a small plurality, he received the ap-
pointment of collector of customs, being Lincoln's first
appointee for Oregon. He then retired from the Argus,
but during his residence in Astoria edited the Marine
Gazette for a time, and ever since has been a frequent con-
tributor to the press of the state. In 1868-69 he made a
trip to South America, and late in the latter year returned
to the United States and delivered a series of lectures.
In 1873 he studied medicine in Philadelphia, and 1875
began its practice in Portland. A few years later he re-
moved to Hood River, where he still lives, now in his
eighty-third year, as full of fire and fight as he was forty
years ago.
Before passing from the Argus, mention should be made
of his foreman and all round right-hand man — David
Watson Craig. He was born near Maysville, Kentucky.
July 25, 1830. His mother was Euphemia Early, a sec-
ond cousin of Jubal Early, who became a noted Confed-
erate general during the civil war. His parents removed
to Palmyra, Missouri, in 1839, and to Hannibal, Missouri,
in 1841. On May 25th, that year, he became an appren-
tice on the Hannibal Journal. One of the typesetters was
Orion Clemens, a brother of Samuel L. Clemens, better
known by his pen name, "Mark Twain.' (Mark, him-
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 359
self, learned the printing business in the same office.)
Serving an apprenticeship of four and a half years, young
Craig went to Illinois and worked at Quincy, Peoria, and
Springfield, remaining at the latter place four years, as
an employe of the Illinois State Journal, edited by Simeon
Francis,6 and served in various capacities as compositor,
reporter, editorial writer, and telegraph operator. While
in Hannibal, Craig began reading law, and all spare
moments in Springfield were thus employed, part of the
time in Lincoln & Herndon's office. Indue time he passed
a rigid examination, B. S. Edwards, John T. Stewart,
and Abraham Lincoln being his examining committee,
and was licensed on September 15, 1850, the license being
signed by S. H. Treat, chief justice, and Lyman Trumbull,
associate justice. He practiced law as occasion offered,
and performed editorial work on the Journal until the
latter part of 1852. He then went to Washington, spend-
ing the winter, and in the spring of 1853 started for Ore-
gon via the Isthmus. He remained at Panama a few
months, acting as foreman of the Panama Daily Star. He
soon went to San Francisco, but only remained a little
while, when he started for Oregon, and arrived in the
Columbia Kiver November 25, 1853. He soon found his
way to Salem, and sought employment of Asahel Bush,
then proprietor of the Oregon Statesman, on which paper
he worked for a short time. Unable to get permanent
employment with Mr. Bush, he had to seek other fields,
and hence began teaching school. It was while thus
engaged that Mr. Adams sent for him to act as his fore-
6 Simeon Francis was born in Wethersfleld, Connecticut, May 14,1796. He served
an apprenticeship in a New Haven printing office, and in 1824 published a paper
in New London for a time. Then he removed to Buffalo, New York, and published
The Emporium. In 1831 he removed to Springfield, Illinois, and in connection
with three brothers began the publication of the Sangamo Journal, afterwards
changed to the Illinois State Journal, and remained with it until 1857. In 1841 he
was appointed Indian agent for Oregon by President Harrison, but after making
all the needed preparations for the trip, he resigned.
360 GEO. H. HIMES.
man, in the spring of 1855. He became proprietor of the
Argus on April 16, 1859, retaining Mr. Adams as editor
until October 24, 1863, at which time the Statesman,
mainly owned by Bush and James W. Nesmith, the latter
United States senator, and the Argus were consolidated,
and the publication continued under the name of The
Statesman, by an incorporation known as the Oregon Print-
ing and Publishing Company, composed of J. W. P.
Huntington, Benjamin Simpson, Rufus Mallory, Chester
N. Terry, George H. Williams, and D. W. Craig, with
Clark P. Crandall as editor. In time Craig acquired a
majority of the stock, and in 1866 sold the paper to Ben-
jamin Simpson, and his sons, Sylvester C. and Samuel
L. Simpson, became the editors. Simpson afterwards
sold to W. A. McPherson and William Morgan, the owners
of the Unionist, and on December 31, 1866, it was merged
into that paper, the name of the Statesman being dropped.
Eighteen months later Huntington acquired control of
the Unionist, and published the same up to the time of
his death, in the spring of 1869, when the plant was
bought at administrator's sale by S. A. Clarke, and the
name The Statesman again adopted. In the merging of
the Argus into the Statesman in 1863. an extra plant was
acquired, most of which, aside from the press, was sold
to an association of printers in Portland, who began pub-
lishing the Daily Union, with W. Lair Hill as editor. The
press was acquired by H.R. Kincaid, who began publish-
ing the State Journal, Eugene, in December, 1863 ; and
in this office, to-day, may be found the original press of
the Spectator, not much the worse for its almost constant
use since February 5, 1846 — fifty-six years. Thus may
be seen the connection between the Spectator of February
5, 1846, with the Oregon Statesman of to-day.
Before taking up the story of the next paper, in chron-
ological order, a few words may be said about the first
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 361
election tickets printed in Oregon. In a letter recently
discovered, dated "Oregon City, Willamette Falls, O.T.,
27th June, 1845," written to "Samuel Wilson, Esq.,
Reading, Cincinnati, Ohio, Politeness of Dr. White," it
being carried by Dr. Elijah White from Oregon City to the
nearest post office, which was in Missouri, J. W. Nesmith,
in speaking of the supreme judge of Oregon, says : "I
received the nomination of the Champoeg convention and
ran for the office at the election which took place on the
first Tuesday of the present month, at which I received
the unanimous vote of the whole territory, happening to
be on all the tickets, two of which I send you enclosed,
which were printed for Champoeg County. They are the
first tickets printed in Oregon. You should preserve them
as curiosities.' Now, the question is, where were these
tickets printed? Not at Oregon City, because the Spec-
tator plant had not yet arrived ; probably at the mission
press at Lapwai, on the Clearwater, about four hundred
miles distant by the most direct route of that day.
The second and third papers in the Territory of Oregon,
the Free Press and the Oregon American and Evangelical
Unionist, having already been referred to, I will pass to
the fourth. This was the Western Star, first issued at
Milwaukie by Lot Whitcomb, November 21, 1850, with
John Orvis Waterman and William Davis Carter, print-
ers, the first of the two being the editor. These young
men were thorough printers, and learned their trade in
Montpelier, Vermont, from whence they came to Cali-
fornia in 1849, and to Oregon early in 1850. Lot Whit-
comb was a native of Vermont, and the founder of Mil-
waukie.
This paper was twenty-four by thirty-four inches in
size, with twenty-four columns, with a good assortment of
display type for advertising and job work, and was demo-
cratic in politics. In May, 1851, Portland having begun
362 GEO. H. HIMES.
to lead Milwaukie in growth, the paper was moved away
from the latter place between two days, during the last
week of the month, whereat Whitcomb and the Milwaukie
people generally were much incensed. At the time it was
charged that Waterman and Carter stole the plant, but
as a matter of fact, Whitcomb, owing his printers more
than he could conveniently pay, had given them a bill of
sale of the whole establishment, and they had a right to
do as they pleased with it. They took it away at night
on a flatboat to save time, avoid an open collision, and all
further controversy. In this connection it may be of in-
terest to note that with The Star, Dr. Oliver W. Nixon,
for more than twenty-five years past the literary editor
of the Inter-Ocean, Chicago, began his newspaper career,
by assisting in the midnight adventure above described.
He was an Oregon pioneer of 1850, and in 1851 taught
school at Milwaukie. Afterwards he was purser on the
steamer Lot Whitcomb.
The Star of March 19, 1851, states that a paper is about
to be started at Salem by Joseph S. Smith, to be called the
Salem Recorder. On the 27th No. 1, Vol. I, of the Oregon
Statesman was received, and in commenting upon it Editor
Waterman says : "We should judge from the style of the
leaders that the editor had been dining on pickles and case
knives since the adjournment of the legislature."
After going to Portland the name Western Star was
dropped and on June 5, 1851, the paper came out under
the name of Oregon Weekly Times. Waterman and Carter
were the proprietors until June 13, 1853, when Carter
sold to Waterman, who continued it until May 29, 1854.
He then sold to Messrs. W. D. Carter and R. D. Austin,
but retained editorial control until November 8, 1856.
Some time after that Mr. Waterman was elected probate
judge of Multnomah County, or Washington, as it was
then, and later he practiced law for a time. The closing
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 363
years of his life were spent in school work, sometimes in
teaching and sometimes as county superintendent. He
died at Cascades, Skamania County, Washington, a num-
ber of years ago.
The Times continued to be democratic, with Carter and
Austin proprietors. In May, 1859, Carter sold his inter-
est to Austin and retired from journalism. He continued
work as a journeyman printer until December, 1864, when
he established a small job office, which he sold five years
later to the writer. He worked as a journeyman about
twenty-five years. Then advancing age compelled him
to retire, and he died in this city in 1898.
Austin continued the publication of the Times, and on
December 19, 1860, started a daily, the third in Portland.
In 1861 he made it a union paper, supporting the nomi-
nees of that party composed of the republican and Doug-
las democrats. Austin was not a man given to "diligence
in business.' He was a "good-fellow," hail-fellow well
met with all, and was passionately fond of playing the
violin. On this account he was much in demand at balls
and parties. This caused more or less inattention to bus-
iness, and by the early part of 1864 the paper suspended.
Mr. Austin died in Portland about nineteen years ago.
Among the editors of the Times, in its later years, were
Henry Shipley, E. C. Hibben, A. S. Gould, W. N. Wal-
ton, the late A. C. Gibbs, afterward the war governor of
Oregon, and W. Lair Hill, who became a prominent at-
torney, and is now a resident of San Francisco.
The fifth paper in Oregon was The Weekly Oregonian.
In June, 1850, W. W. Chapman and Stephen Coffin,
leading citizens of Portland, then a village of a few hun-
dred people, and vitally interested in everything pertain-
ing to its well being, had occasion to visit San Francisco
on business, and among other things to arrange, if pos-
4
364 GEO. H. HIMES.
sible, for the publication of a newspaper. About July
4th they met Thomas J. Dryer, at that time city editor
of the California Courier, and disclosed their plans to
him. He, having a desire to engage in journalism on
his own account, listened favorably to their proposals.
Accordingly, a plan of operations was agreed upon, and
a secondhand plant belonging to the Alta, the press being
a Ramage No. 913, was secured and shipped on the bark
Keoka on October 8th, and arrived in the Columbia
River in the latter part of November following. Before
leaving San Francisco an order was sent to New York for
a new plant throughout, to be shipped direct to Portland.
The name — The Weekly Oregonian — was suggested by Col-
onel Chapman. The paper was issued on Wednesday,
December 4, 1850, and Stephen Coffin, Col. W. W. Chap-
man, A. P. Dennison, and W. W. Baker took the first
paper by the four corners and lifted it from the press.
The first number was distributed through the town by
Arthur and Thomas, sons of Col. Chapman, and Henry
C. Hill, a stepson of Stephen Coffin. Colonel Chapman
had a man to go on horseback and deliver the first num-
ber at various points along the trail as far south as Cor-
vallis, then Marysville, and to cross the river and return
on the east side. Thus was The Oregonian given to the
world A. M. Berry7 was the first printer, and Henry Hill
the first "printer's devil.'
Mr. Dryer was born in Canandaigua County, New York,
January 10, 1808, and was the second son of Aaron and
Lucinda Dryer. His paternal grandfather was a soldier
of the Revolution, and his father served in the war of 1812.
His mother was a daughter of Isaac Lewis, who served
7 Mr. Berry was born in New Hampshire. He went to California in 1849, and
came to Oregon with Mr. Dryer in 1850. He went to Olympia late in 1853, and
bought an interest in the Pioneer and Democrat. He went to his early New Eng-
land home in the summer of 1854 to make a visit, was exposed to the cholera, and
died at Greenland, New Hampshire, August 1, 1854.
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 365
under Washington. The family removed to Ohio, near
Cincinnati, in 1818. Thomas stayed there until 1825,
when he returned to New York and remained until 1841.
During the next seven years he had a mail contract,
shipped beef to New Orleans, and had an interest in a
steam laundry in Cincinnati, each in turn, the latter being
about the only industry that he found profitable. In 1848
he went to California to mine for gold, but incidentally
became connected with the Courier, before mentioned, as
a reporter, where he was found as previously stated. Mr.
Dryer was a whig, and an aggressive and spirited writer,
with a dash of audacity and fearlessness which were well
suited to pioneer journalism, besides being a born contro-
versialist and an attractive public speaker. His attacks
on democracy by pen and voice were bold, persistent, and
denunciatory to a marked degree. The democratic jour-
nals, particularly the Statesman, replied in kind, and thus
considerable excitement was created throughout the terri-
tory among the partisans of the respective journals when
they made their appearance from week to week. The new
plant of The Oregonian, before referred to, arrived early
in April and the printed page of the paper was enlarged
from fourteen and three eighths by nineteen inches to
fifteen and one quarter by twenty and three quarter inches.
The new Washington hand press superseded the Ramage,
and that machine, with the old plant of The Oregonian,
was bought in 1852 by T. F. McElroy and J. W. Wiley,
and taken around on the schooner Mary Taylor to Olympia
and used in printing the Columbian, the first newspaper
north of the Columbia River, and was issued at "Olympia,
Puget's Sound, 0. T., Saturday, September 11, 1852."
The editor, in making an appeal for subscribers, says :
The Olympian — the pioneer newspaper west of the mountains — be-
tween the daddy of Oregon waters and Kamchatka (we don't expect
any subscribers there, however, as they don't "cumtux" our "wau-
366 GEO. H. HIMKS.
wau"). Walk up, gentlemen — a few chances for subscription left.
Only five dollars a year — "And a-going, and a-going !" Ten copies, did
you say ? — Thank you, sir. Sale closed. Be patient, gentlemen. Open
again to-morrow morning at 8 o'clock, precisely.
The paper was neutral in politics and religion. At the
end of six months Editor Wiley says that he "will venture
the assertion that not another newspaper in the United
States — nay, not in the world — that has existed for six
months with more economy than has the Columbian.
We commenced its publication without a subscriber and
without a dollar. Since that time we have 'kept bach,'
done our own cooking, our own washing, our own mend-
ing, cut our own wood, made our own fires, washed our own
dishes, swept out our own office, made up our own beds,
composed our own editorials out of the cases — writing paper
being a luxury which we have been deprived of — and done
our own presswork. Now we have three hundred and fifty
subscribers. * * What has been accomplished for the
Territory of Columbia — or rather what has Northern Ore-
gon accomplished for herself — during the last six months ?
History — in the future history of the State of Columbia
may be found an answer."
Wiley withdrew from the paper on March 13, 1853.
On March 26th J. J. Beebe appears as a partner with Mc-
Elroy, but retired on July 13th. In the first number of
the second volume the name of Mat. K. Smith appears as
editor, and he conducted it as a whig journal, until
November 26th. In the next issue the names of J. W.
Wiley and A. M. Berry appear as proprietors, and the
name is changed to the Washington Pioneer, with Wiley
as editor, who says that as long as he has anything to do
with it it will "be a straight-out, radical democratic jour-
nal." In the issue of February 4, 1854, the name is
t/
changed to Pioneer and Democrat, and it is printed on a
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 367
new press with new type, and R. L. Doyle taken in as
partner.
In making this change the paper was enlarged by the
addition of one fourth of an inch to the length of the
printed page — a fact which the editor emphasizes. At
this point the old Ramage press was practically laid aside.
In July, 1861, the manager of The Press, Victoria, Brit-
ish Columbia, conceived the idea that it would be good
business policy to send a man to Olympia to print a sheet
containing the latest war news, and have it ready to send
by each steamer leaving Olympia for Victoria, thus enabling
The Press management to place the latest news before its
readers, upon arrival of the steamer, without having to
wait to print it. This sheet was called the Overland Press,
and it was in charge of J. R. Watson and A. M. Poe, and
for a few weeks was printed on the press of the Washing-
ton Standard. In August, however, the old Ramage was
secured and used for a year or more.
In 1863 Watson took it to Seattle, and printed the first
paper there, the Seattle Gazette. A little later, some time
in 1865, it was used in printing the Intelligencer, started
by S. L. Maxwell, for the first time. Some time afterwards
it was used in printing the first daily in Seattle, which, it
is believed, was the first in the Territory of Washington.
Twenty years thereafter, or thereabouts, it began to be
considered an historical relic, and was stored in a room in
the University of Washington, Seattle, and there it is to-
day.
When the press came to the Pacific Coast is a question
not yet fully settled. The writer is of the opinion, how-
ever, after most careful research, based largely on printed
evidence in his possession, dated as early as 1852, that it
was sent from New York to Mexico, thence to Monterey,
California, in 1834, where it was used by the Spanish
governor for a number of years in printing proclamations,
368 GEO. H. HIMES.
etc., and on August 15, 1846, by Rev. Walter Cotton and
R. Semple in printing the Californian, the first newspaper
in California. Late in 1846 it was sent from Monterey to
San Francisco, and used in printing the Star, the first
paper in that city, which was issued in January, 1847.
The interests of the Californian and the Star were com-
bined, and in the fall of 1848 the first number of the Alta
California was issued with the plant.
If the foregoing position is true, and there seems to be
no reasonable doubt of it, from the evidence now in hand,
the press in question was the first in Monterey, the first in
San Francisco, the first in Portland, the first in Olympia,
and the first in Seattle.
On December 16, 1854, George B. Goudy became a part-
ner in the publication of the Pioneer and Democrat, and on
August 10, 1855, sole owner. In 1857 he sold to Edward
Furste, who retained J. W. Wiley as editor until May 14,
1858. On May 30, 1860, Furste sold to James Lodge, who
continued to publish the paper until May 31, 1861. After
the first year of this paper's life its publishers had the
territorial printing, and fortunes were made out of it.
The change of the national administration in 1860 cut
off that source of revenue, and it gently expired without
an apology.
Notwithstanding Mr. Dryer's capacity to work hard, it
was difficult for him to make ends meet. With consider-
able ability as an editor, he was also in frequent demand
as a public speaker. This left him but little time to attend
to business matters, which, as every one knows who has
had any experience in newspaper business, is largely a
matter of small details. This feature of journalism was
wholly distasteful to him.
t
About this time, November, 1853, a beardless youth of
seventeen appeared on the scene. He had finished his
journey across the plains a few weeks before, and was seek-
HISTORY OF THE PRESS OF OREGON. 369
ing employment. He had been taught by his father to set
type at the age of twelve, and hence had five years' expe-
rience. He had applied at the printing office at Oregon
City and at The Times office in Portland without success.
The job of bartender had been offered him, but this was
not to his taste. Finally, he called at The Oregonian office
one morning and asked for work. Mr. Dryer was rather
brusque in his manner, and said, "What can you do?"
"Set type," was the reply. "Well, see what you can do
with that," said Mr. Dryer, handing him a composing stick
and a piece of reprint copy, and directing him to a case.
The article was soon set and proof taken. Mr. Dryer was
surprised to find it correct, and at once regarded the youth
with favor. He said, "Have you any money?" "No," was
the reply. Tossing the boy a $5 coin he was bidden to
call again. This he did and Mr. Dryer soon found him a
most industrious workman — always on hand, and willing
to work early and late. Before many months elapsed this
young man was advanced to the position of foreman.
Soon after that he overhauled the subscription books and
began introducing more careful business methods. Thus
it was that Henry L. Pittock became connected with The
Oregonian.
On November 8, 1856, he and Elisha Treat Gunn,8 an
accomplished printer who came from Connecticut, and had
worked on the paper a number of years, were admitted to
partnership by Mr. Dryer. This continued until Novem-
ber 20, 1858, when Pittock and Gunn withdrew. On No-
vember 24, 1860, Mr. Dryer transferred his interest to Mr.
Pittock, but retained editorial control until January 12,
8 Mr. Gunn was born in Connecticut about 1827, and went to California in 1849.
Early in 1851 he came to Portland and was a compositor on the Oregonian for a
time. In 1854 he went to Olympia, Washington Territory, and on May 19, 1855, he
begun publishing thePuget Sound Courier at Steilacoom, the first paper there, and
continued until its suspension in April, 1856. On November 30, 1867, he started the
Olympia Transcript, and continued it until his death in 1883.
370 GEO. H. HIMES.
1861. This is how it came to pass that Henry L. Pittock
became the owner of The Oregonian. In recognition of
Dryer's services in assisting to carry Oregon for the repub-
lican ticket in 1860, on which he was one of the electors,
Lincoln appointed him commissioner to the Sandwich
Islands, whither he went in 1861. A few years later he
returned to Portland and spent the remainder of his life
to the year of his death in 1879, the principal part of the
time holding the office of justice of the peace.
Upon becoming sole owner of The Oregonian Mr. Pittock
saw that if he made his business successful he must start
a daily, although there were two in the field already. Ac-
cordingly, the necessary new material was secured, and
the Morning Oregonian was first issued February 4, 1861,
four pages, each page being eleven and one half by eighteen
and one fourth inches, four columns each. It is needless
to recount the further history of this enterprise at this time.
Since Mr. Dryer, the principal editors of the paper have
been as follows : Simeon Francis, long the owner of the
State Journal oi Springfield, Illinois, who came as a result
of a letter written by D. W. Craig, with the expectation of
establishing a paper himself, but finding the field well
occupied, he set type and did faithful editorial work on
the Oregonian until 1861, when he was appointed pay-
master in the United States Army by President Lincoln,
for many years a warm personal friend ; Henry Miller ;
Amory Holbrook, who was appointed United States district
attorney by President Taylor, an able lawyer and a polished
and vigorous writer ; John F. Damon, Samuel A. Clarke,
H. W. Scott, W. Lair Hill, and again H. W. Scott. Mr.
Scott's first editorial engagement began May 15, 1865, al-
though he became an editorial contributor several months
before. In 1872 he was appointed collector of customs.
In 1877 he bought an interest in the paper, and became
editor in chief, which position he retains to-day.
The Public Archives Commission was organized at the
Boston meeting of the American Historical Association,
in December, 1899. The project had been before the
association for several years, but the way had not been
clear for starting upon it. The commission proposed to
undertake a systematic examination of the contents and
condition of the various classes of American public rec-
ords— national, state, and local, with a view to the ultimate
publication of such a guide to them as will make them
available for students.
To facilitate the work of the commission an adjunct
member was appointed in each state, who is the imme-
diate representative of the commission in that state, and
primarily responsible for such lines of investigation as
may be undertaken in his rield. The work is without
compensation, a labor of love for all.
FROM THE CONSTITUTION OF OREGON.
Duties of Secretary of State —
The Secretary of State shall keep a fair record of the official acts
of the legislative assembly and executive department of the state •
and shall, when required, lay the same and all matters relative thereto
before either branch of the legislative assembly.
FROM BELLINGER AND COTTON'S ANNOTATED CODES AND STATUTES
OF OREGON.
Duties of Secretary of State —
It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State,—
1. To keep a record of the official acts of the executive department
of the state ; and he shall, when required, lay the same and all mat-
ters relative thereto before each branch of the legislature ;
3. He shall be charged with the safe-keeping of all enrolled laws
and resolutions, and shall not permit the same or any of them to be
taken out of his office or inspected, except in his presence, unless by
order of the Governor, or by resolution of one or both houses of the
372 F. G. YOUNG.
legislature, under penalty of $100. All legal papers of the state shall
be deposited and preserved in his office. The chief clerks of the senate
and house of representatives, at the close of each session of the legis-
lature, shall deposit for safe-keeping in the office of the Secretary of
State, all books, bills, documents, and papers in the possession of the
legislature, correctly labeled, folded, and classified. It shall be the
duty of the Secretary of State to cause the original enrolled laws and
joint resolutions passed at each session of the legislature to be bound
in a volume, in a substantial manner, and in the order in which they
are approved, and no further record of the official acts of the legis-
lature, so far as relates to acts and joint resolutions, shall be required
of said secretary; and he shall index the same, and cause the title
thereof, with the session at which the same shall have been passed,
to be written or printed on the back of such volume. At the end of
each session of the legislative assembly the State Printer shall, of the
acts, memorials, resolutions, and journals of each session, print the
number of copies
— as specified later in this report.
A collection of documents designated by the Secretary
of State as the "Archives" of the state contains the fol-
lowing :
ARCHIVES.
The Code of Civil Procedure and other general statutes of Oregon,
enacted by the legislative assembly at the session commencing Sep-
tember 8, 1862. Code Commissioners: M. P. Deady, A. C. Gibbs, J. K.
Kelly. Salem: 1863.
General Laws of Oregon, 1845-1864, compiled and annotated by M. P.
Deady. Salem, December 26, 1865.
General Laws of Oregon, 1843-1872, compiled and annotated by M. P.
Deady, Lafayette Lane.
The Codes and General Laws of Oregon, compiled and annotated by
William Lair Hill. 2 vols. Published by authority of an act of Feb-
ruary 26, 1885. San Francisco: Bancroft- Whitney Company. 1887.
Same, including statutes and decisions to 1892. San Francisco:
Bancroft- Whitney Company. 1892.
The Codes and Statutes of Oregon, showing all laws of a general
nature, including the Session Laws of 1901. Compiled and annotated
by Charles B. Bellinger, William W. Cotton. 2 vols. San Francisco:
Bancroft- Whitney Company. 1902.
The Oregon Archives, including the Journals, Governor's mes-
sages, and Public Papers of Oregon. "From the earliest attempt to
form a government to and including the session of the territorial leg-
islature of 1849. Collected and published pursuant to an act of the
THE ARCHIVES OP OREGON. 373
legislative assembly, passed January 29, 1853." By Lafayette Grover,
Commissioner. Salem: 1853.
Same, including- following additional contents:
(a) Papers relating to the war with the Cayuse Indians.
(6) Laws of a General and Local Nature. Passed by the legislative commit-
tee and legislative assembly at their various successive sessions from the year
1843, down to and inclusive of the session of the territorial legislature held in 1849,
except such laws of said session as were published in the bound volume of Ore-
gon Statutes, dated Oregon City, 1851, collected and published pursuant to an act
of January 26, 1853.
Statutes of a General Nature. Passed by the legislative assembly
of the Territory of Oregon at the second session, begun and held at
Oregon City, December, 1850. Oregon City : 1851.
Journals, Local Laws, and Joint Resolutions of the legislative as-
sembly of the Territory of Oregon :
(a) Journal of the Council of the Territory of Oregon during the second session
of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Oregon City, December 2, 1850. Ore-
gon City : 1851.
(&) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, during
the second session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Oregon City.
Oregon City : 1851.
(c) Statutes of a local nature and joint resolutions of the legislative assembly
of the Territory of Oregon, passed at the second session thereof, begun and held
December 2, 1850, at Oregon City. Oregon City : 1851.
Laws and Journals. Oregon, 1851-1852 :
(a) General laws passed by the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon
at the third regular session thereof, begun and held at Salem, December 1, 1851.
Oregon : 1852.
(6) Local laws and joint resolutions of the legislative assembly of the Terri-
tory of Oregon, passed at the third regular session thereof, begun and held at
Salem, December, 1851. Oregon : 1852.
(c) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, during
the first session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Oregon City, July
16, 1849. Oregon : 1854.
(d) Journal of the Council of the Territory of Oregon, during the first regular
session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Oregon City, July 16, 1849.
Oregon : 1854.
(e) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, during
the third regular session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem,
December 1, 1851.
Appendix : Memorial to Congress requesting officers appointed from among
themselves ; increasing salaries of revenue collectors ; establishment of military
posts, mail facilities.
(/) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, dur-
ing a special session, begun and held at Salem, July 26, 1852. Oregon : 1852.
(g) Journal of the Council of Oregon, during a special session, begun and held
at Salem, July 26, 1852. Oregon : 1852.
(h) Journal of the Council of the Territory of Oregon, during the third regular
session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem, December 1, 1851.
Oregon : 1852.
374 F. G. YOUNG.
Appendix: Memorial to the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States, expressing dissatisfaction with Governor Gaines and the territorial
judges ; including, also, Judge Pratt's opinion on the "Location Law."
Laws and Journals, 1852-1853 :
(a) General laws passed by the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon,
at fourth regular session thereof, begun and held at Salem, December 6, 1852. Ore-
gon : 1853.
(6) Special laws and joint resolutions of the legislative assembly of the Terri-
tory of Oregon, passed at the fourth regular session thereof, begun and held at
Salem, December 6, 1852. Oregon : 1853.
(c) Journal of the Council of the Territory of Oregon, during the fourth regu-
lar session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem December 6, 1852.
Oregon: 1853.
Appendix : Librarian's report, with catalogue of library. Report of company
sent out from counties of Lane and Linn to learn the practicability of an emi-
grant route from Fort Boise to the Willamette Forks, commenced August 20, 1852,
and lasted sixty days. Report of Secretary relating to distribution of general
laws and journals and local laws. Reports of payments made on account of the
library. Report of Treasurer.
(d) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon duiing
the fourth regular session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem,
December 6, 1852. Oregon : 1853.
Appendix : Correspondence relating to provisions for the convicts of Oregon
Territory in the guardhouse at Columbia Barracks. Instructions to the Gov-
ernor and Secretary of Oregon Territory in disbursing money intrusted to them
by virtue of their offices, from the Treasury Department of the United States. Re-
port of the Minority of the Committee on Maynard's Bill for Divorce. Report of
Governor Gaines of the money received and expended for the Territorial Library,
with copy of letter from the Comptroller of the Treasury of the United States.
Majority and Minority Reports of Commissioners to superintend the erection of a
penitentiary at Portland. Report of the Auditor of Public Accounts. Memorial
by Territorial Legislature to Congress requesting a release to Dr. John McLoughlin
of the "Oregon City Claim," and a donation to the territory for university en-
dowment in lieu thereof of a township of land. Report of Commissioners on
Cayuse War Claims. Report of committee to whom this report was referred.
Memorial to Congress urging the importance of immediate action on the part of
the General Government relative to the construction of a railroad from some
point on the Mississippi River to some point on the Pacific Ocean, or some of the
navigable waters connected therewith. Resolution requesting: (a) Delegate in
Congress to use his best endeavors to secure the erection of marine hospitals at
desirable points on the Oregon coast ; (&) Congress to divide the Territory of Ore-
gon. Speaker's Decisions.
Laws and Journals, Oregon, 1853-4-5, 1855-6 :
(a) Journal of the House of Representatives of Oregon, during the fifth reg-
ular session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem, December 5,
1853. Salem, Oregon: 1854.
Appendix: Report of Commissioners elected to prepare a Code of Laws. Li-
brarian's report, with catalogue of library. Report of Commissioner of Cayuse
War Claims. Report of the Auditor of Public Accounts. Report of Territorial
Treasurer. Memorial to Congress urging compensation for services and for losses
sustained in war with Rogue River Indians. Report of Committee to whom was
referred reports of Auditor and Treasurer. Memorial to the Postmaster General
THE ARCHIVES OP OREGON. 375
urging provision of mail facilities for southern Oregon. Re port of Commissioners
to superintend the erection of a Penitentiary. Report of Legislative Committee
on the progress of the work. Report of the Commissioners to superintend the
erection of public buildings. Memorial asking admission as a state. Memorial
asking for a change in the act of Congress of September 27, 1850, so as to release
to Dr. John McLoughlin what is known as the "Oregon City Claim," and in lieu
thereof donate to the territory two townships of land. Report of moneys ex-
pended by the Commissioners for the erection of a Penitentiary. Memorial
urging change in the "Land Law" of September, 1850, so as to facilitate the process
of securing titles. Resolution relating to the state house building fund, safes for
Auditor and Treasurer, funds for public buildings, relief of Joseph Hunsacker.
Speaker's Decisions.
(6) Special Laws passed by the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon
at the fifth regular session, begun and held at Salem, December 5, 1853. Oregon :
1854.
(c) Journal of the Council of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Ore-
gon, during the fifth annual session, begun and held at Salem, Decembers, 1853.
Oregon : 1854.
Appendix: Report of the Committee appointed to draft rules for the govern-
ment of the Council. Report of Commissioners to superintend the erection of
public buildings. Communication relating to the binding of the Oregon Ar-
chives. Report relative to the selection and location of University lands. Resigna-
tion of one of the Commissioners. Report of the Joint Code Committee. Report
of Auditor of Public Accounts. Report of the TeiTitorial Treasurer. Report of
the Judiciary Committee for the repeal of the Stephen's Ferry Charter. Commu-
nication of William M. King, relating to contract for building a penitentiary.
(d) Reports of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Oregon
at the December term, 1853. Judges: George H. Williams, Chief Justice ; Cyrus
Olney, Obadiah B. McFadden, Associate Justices. Oregon : 1854.
(e) Bound in the same volume are the following : Laws of the legislative assem-
bly of the Territory of Oregon enacted during the seventh regular session thereof,
begun December 3, 1855, and [concluded January 31, 1856. Salem, Oregon : 1856.
General laws ; special laws.
Journals, Oregon, 1854-55:
(a) Journals of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, dur-
ing the sixth regular session of the legislative assembly, begun and held at Salem,
December 4, 1854. Corvallis, Oregon : 1851.
Appendix: Rules for the Government of the House of Representatives of Ore-
gon Territory. Treasurer's Report. Correspondence relating to the massacre of
immigrants by the Snake River Indians in August, 1854. Report of the Auditor
of Public Accounts. Report of the University Land Commissioner. Report of
the State House Commissioners. Report of the Willamette Falls Canal, Milling
and Transportation Company. Report of Commissioners to erect the Territorial
University. Report of the Territorial Librarian, with catalogue of library. Re-
ports, majority and minority, of Judiciary Committee on petition of Mary Ann
Huner. Report of Commissioners to erect Penitentiary. Report of Governor
Curry on massacre of a portion of the immigration of last season near For tBoise>
with correspondence of military officials. Memorial to the legislature of the Ter-
ritorial Printer. Report of the State House Commissioners. Report of the Joint
Committee on the charges against the Commissioners for the erection of the State
House. Message of Governor Curry in relation to the investigation of the ex-
penditure of the penitentiary fund, submitting papers containing accounts, etc.
Report of Joint Committee on Message from the Governor, in relation to the
massacre of immigrants last season by the Snake River Indians. Message of
376 F. G. YOUNG.
Governor Curry, submitting a report of the disbursements and the condition of
the fund appropriated by Congress for the erection of public buildings. Report
of Select Committee on the report of the State House Commissioners. Report on
the burning of the city jail of Portland by Oregon convicts confined therein. Re-
port of Minority of Committee on Relief of Addison Flint for viewing and loca-
ting the Territorial Road from Corvallis to Winchester.
(6) Special laws passed by the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon
at the sixth regular session thereof, begun and held at Salem December 4, 1854.
Corvallis, Oregon: 1855.
(c) Journal of the Council of the Territory of Oregon during the sixth regular
session of the Legislative Assembly, begun and held at Salem, December 4, 1855.
Appendix: Treasurer's Report. Correspondence relating to the massacre of
immigrants by the Snake River Indians in August, 1851. Report of Auditor of
Public Accounts. Report of University Land Commissioner. Report on bill to
legalize the marriage of John C. Carey and Sarah Carey. Report of State House
Commissioners. Report of Willamette Falls Canal, Milling and Transpprtation
Company. Report of Commissioners to erect Territoi'ial University. Report of
Commissioners to erect Penitentiary. Message of Governor Curry relating to
plans by which perpetrators of massacre of immigrants near Fort Boise might be
brought to justice; submitting also correspondence of military officials. Memo-
rial of Territorial Printer, relating to the shipment of one thousand copies of
Oregon documents from New York. Report of State House Commissioners.
Report of Joint Committee against State House Commissioners. Message of
Governor Curry in relation to the investigation of the expenditure of the peni-
tentiary fund, submitting papers. Report of joint committee on message of
Governor, relating to massacre of immigrants by the Snake River Indians.
Message of the Governor, submitting the report of the disbursements and condi-
tion of the fund appropriated by congress for the erection of public buildings.
Message by Governor Curry, relating to the recommendation of the Superin-
tendent of Indian Affairs in regard to the law prohibiting the sale of arms and
ammunition to the Indians.
(d) Reports of the decisions of the Supreme Court of Oregon during the years
1853-54. Judges: George H. Williams, Chief Justice; Cyrus Olney, Obadiah B.
McFadden, M. P. Deady, Associate Justices. Corvallis, Oregon : 1855.
(e) Reports of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of Oregon, at the December
term, 1851. Judges: George H. Williams, Chief Justice ; Cyrus Olney, M. P. Deady
Associate Justices. Corvallis, Oregon: 1855.
Supreme Court Reports, 1855-56:
(a) Reports of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Oregon
rendered at the June and December terms, 1855, and June term, 1856. Judges;
George H. Williams, Chief J ustice; Cyrus Olney, M. P. Deady, Associate Justices.
Salem, Oregon : 1856.
(6) Bound in the same volume: Journal of the House of Representatives of
the Territory of Oregon, during the seventh regular session, from December 3,
1855, to January 31, 1856. Salem, Oregon: 1856.
Appendix: Rules of the House. Correspondence relating to the location and
erection of capitol building. Report of the Commissioners to erect Penitentiary.
Report of the Auditor of Public Accounts. Message of Governor Curry, and cor-
respondence relating to the suppression of Indian hostilities. Report of the dis-
bursements and condition of the fund appropriated by Congress for the erection
of public buildings. Report of the University Land Commissioner. Report of
Quartermaster of the Department of Oregon Territory, of Adjutant General and
Surgeon in Chief of the Medical Department, of Commissary General. Memorial
to the President of the United States complaining of the course of General Wool
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON. 377
in connection with the suppression of the Indian hostilities. Preamble to act
providing for the taking of ;the sense of the people of the terrirory relative to
forming a state government. Report of the Commissioners to superintend the
erection of a monument over the grave of Hon. S. R. Thurston. Memorial criti-
cising the action of the Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the territory in his loca-
tion of Indian tribes. Memorial relating to the issuing of patents to land claim-
ants. Memorial urging claims for services rendered in punishing the Snake
River tribe of Indians. Memorial relating to the assumption of indebtedness of
Provisional Government of Oregon. Memorial praying for the establishment of
a mail route from San Francisco to Olympia. Memorial requesting an appropria-
tion for the construction of a military road from Oregon City to The Dalles. Me-
morial relative to the establishment of a mail service east of the Cascade Moun-
tains. Report of the Territorial Librarian. Report of the Committee to Inquire
into the cause of the destruction of the State House. Memorial asking Congress
to assume the expenses of the existing Indian war. Memorial preferring charges
against the Surveyor General. Correspondence and resolution relating to the
events of the Indian war.
Laws of Oregon, 1855-56 : Laws of the legislative assembly of the
Territory of Oregon, enacted during the seventh regular session therof,
begun December 3, 1855, and concluded January 31, 1856. Salem,
Oregon: 1856.
General laws ; special laws.
Laws and Journals of Oregon, 1856-57 :
(a) Laws of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon, enacted during
the eighth regular session thereof, begun December 1, 1856; concluded January 29,
1857. Salem, Oregon : 1857.
(6) Journal of the proceedings of the Council of the legislative assembly of the
Territory of Oregon, during the regular session from December 1, 1856, to January
29, 1857. Salem, Oregon : 1857.
Appendix : Memorial of Messrs. Dickinson and Fitch, and other papers rela-
ting to the Territorial Penitentiary at Portland. Report referring to contest for
seat in the Council ; also petition and other papers relating to the same. Joint
Resolution instructing Delegate in Congress to secure further donations of uni-
versity lands. Rules of the Council. Joint Rules.
(c) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, during
the eighth regular session, 1856-57. Salem, Oregon : 1857.
Appendix : Message of the Governor. Report of the Comptroller. Report on
Capitol Fund. Correspondence between the Governor and the Secretary of War
in relation to General Wool, and to location of the capital. Report of the Auditor
of Public Accounts. Report of Select Committee to which was referred the Audi-
tor's Report. Annual Report of the University Land Commissioner. Treasurer's
Report. Message of the Governor, submitting correspondence relating to Indian
hostilities. Report of the Commissioners for the erection of a Penitentiary. Re-
port of the Commissioner to audit claims growing out of the Indian war of Oregon
Territory. Report of Committee appointed to visit the Penitentiary. Pilot Com-
missioner's Report. Report and papers in a case of a contested election. Papers
relating to Penitentiary. Communications of Auditor. Librarian's Report. Mis-
cellaneous reports, resolutions,' and memorials. Rules of the House.
Laws of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon enacted
during the eighth regular session thereof, begun December 1, 1856,
concluded, January 29, 1857. Salem, Oregon: 1857.
378 F. G. YOUNG.
General laws; special laws.
House and Senate Journal, 1856-57:
(a) Journal of the proceedings of the Council of the legislative assembly of
the Territory of Oregon, during the regular session, from December 1, 1856, to Jan-
uary 29, 1857. Salem, Oregon: 1857.
Appendix: (The same as listed under "(6)" under the heading "Appendix" of
the "Laws and Journals of Oregon, 1856-57.")
(6) Journal of the ninth regular sessson of the House of Representatives of
the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon, commencing December 7,
1857. Salem, Oregon: 1858.
Appendix: Librarian's Report. Auditor's Report. University Land Com-
missioner's Report. Report of the Superintendent of the Penitentiary. Report
of the condition of the fund for the erection of Public Buildings. Laws of the
Territory of Oregon enacted during the ninth regular session of the legislative
assembly, begun December 7, 1857, concluded February 5, 1858. Salem, Oregon:
1858.
(a1) Constitution of Oregon. General laws. Special Laws.
(&1) Journal of the legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon, during the
seventh regular session, from December 3, 1855, to January 31, 1856. Salem, Ore-
gon : 1856.
Appendix.- Treasurer's Report. Penitentiary Report. Auditor's Report. Pilot
Commissioner's Report.
Laws and Journals, Oregon, 1858-59 :
(a) Laws of the Territory of Oregon, enacted during the tenth regular session
of the legislative assembly, begun December 6, 1858, concluded January 22, 1859.
Salem, Oregon: 1859. General laws; special laws.
(6) Journal of the Territorial Council of the legislative assembly of Oregon
Territory, tenth regular session, 1858-59. Salem, Oregon: 1859.
Appendix: Report relative to a contested seat. Report of the Committee on
Education. Report of Casualties by Committee on Military Affairs.
(c) Journal of the House of Representatives of the Territory of Oregon, dur-
ing the regular session, 1858-59. Salem, Oregon: 1859.
Appendix: Documents accompanying the Governor's message — (1) Corre-
spondence relating to buildings required for the accommodation of the terri-
torial officers of the United States. Report of Commission on Indian war ex-
penses in Oregon and Washington. Auditor's Report. Account accompaying the
Auditor's Report. Treasurer's Report. Report of Superintendent of Penitentiary ;
Chaplain's Report accompanying. Report of the University Land Commis-
sioner. Librarian's Report. Report on failure to print documents accompanying
the Governor's message. Report on claims of Roberts and Shortle. Proposi-
tion of Joseph Knott to make penitentiary a self-supporting institution. Report
of Joint Committee on Education. Minority Report of the same Committee.
Report of Judiciary Committee on petitions asking for the passage of a law to
protect property in slaves in the Territory of Oregon. Minority report on the
same. Proposition on the administration of the penitentiary. Report on peti-
tions asking for the enactment of a "prohibitory liquor law." Statement of
amount annually paid by the Secretary of Oregon for rent of legislative halls and
offices, and the fitting up of the same. Report of the Committee on Military
Affairs.
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON. 379
Laws and Journals of Oregon, 1859-60 : Laws of the State of Ore-
gon, enacted during- the first extra session of the legislative assembly,
begun May 16, 1859, concluded June 4, 1859. Salem, Oregon : 1859.
(a) General Laws and Special Laws.
(6) Journal of the House of Representatives of the legislative assembly of the
State of Oregon, during the first session thereof, 1858. Salem, Oregon : 1859. (Min-
utes show an attempt at what is called the "first regular session" on September
13, 1858. It was adjourned on the second day. A session had also been held from
July 5th to July 9th.)
(c) Journal of the House of Representatives of the legislative assembly of the
State of Oregon, during the first extra session, 1859. Salem, Oregon : 1859.
(d) Journal of the Senate of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon,
during the first extra session, 1859. Salem, Oregon : 1859.
Appendix: The State Constitution, together with the session laws of Oregon,
enacted during the first regular session of the legislative assembly of Oregon, Sep-
tember 10, 1860. Salem, Oregon : 1860.
(e) Journal of the proceedings of the Senate of the legislative assembly of Ore-
gon during the first regular session thereof, begun September 10, 1860. Salem,
Oregon : 1860.
Appendix : Declarations of Pardon. Documents relating to swamp land acts.
Treasurer's Report. Memorial to Congress asking the payment of the Indian war
claims. Memorial by J. Q,uinn Thornton asking acceptance of a silver medal
commemorating the discovery of the mouth of the Columbia River. Report of
committee recommending acceptance of it. Governor's message calling attention
to the massacre of immigrants near Salmon Falls on the Snake River. Secre-
tary's Report.
(/) Journal of the proceedings of the House of Representatives of the legisla-
tive assembly of Oregon, during the first regular session, commenced September
10, I860. Salem, Oregon : 1860.
Appendix: Librarian's Report. Report and Memorial concerning the Pen-
itentiary. Report relative to Agricultural Societies. Report of Pilot Commis-
sioner. Report of Committee on Education.
House Journal, 1860 :
(a). Same as (/) above.
(6) Journal of the proceedings of the Senate of the legislative assembly of
Oregon, for the session of 1862. Salem, Oregon : 1862.
(c) Special laws of the State of Oregon and Memorials and Joint Resolutions
enacted by the legislative assembly thereof during the session of 1862. Salem,
Oregon: 1862.
House and Senate Journal, 1862 :
(a) Journal of the proceedings of the House of the legislative assembly of Ore-
gon, for the session of 1862. Salem, Oregon : 1862.
Appendix : Governor's Message and accompanying documents, mainly grants
of pardon and correspondence relating to threatened Indian depredations. Treas-
urer's Report. Special Message, and accompanying documents. Secretary's Re-
port. Librarian's Report.
(6) Same as (6) next above.
5
380 F. G. YOUNG.
Journals and Local Laws of Oregon, 1862 :
(a) Same as (&) next above.
(6) Same as (c) above.
(c) Same as (a) of the " Senate and House Journal, 1862."
House and Senate Journal, 1864 :
(a) Journal of the proceedings of the House of the legislative assembly of Ore-
gon for the third regular session, 1864.
Appendix : Governor's Message. Abstract of reports of county school super-
intendents. Doctors Glisan and Wilson's report as visiting and inspecting physi-
cians of the Oregon Insane Asylum. Petition for the extension of the contract
with Doctors Hawthorne and Loryea. Biennial Report of the Physicians of the
Oregon Hospital for the Insane. Names of persons pardoned. Penitentiary Re-
port. Secretary's Report. Report of State Treasurer. Report of Adj utant Gen-
eral. Abstract of Description Book of the First Cavalry Regiment Oregon Vol-
unteers. Librarian's Report. Railroad Report. Special Message relating to the
locating of the State's Public Lands. Mrs.Thornton's letter presenting tomahawk.
(6) Journal of the proceedings of the Senate of the legislative assembly of
Oregon for the session of 1864. Salem, Oregon : 1864.
(c) Special Laws of the State of Oregon enacted during the third regular ses-
sion of the legislative assembly, begun September 12, and concluded October 22,
1864.
(d) Memorials and Joint Resolutions.
House and Senate Journals, 1864 :
(a) Same as (&), (c), and (d) next above.
(&) Same as (a) next above.
House and Senate Journals, 1864-65 :
(a) Same as (c) next above.
(6) The Senate Journal during the special session, begun and held December,
1865. Salem, Oregon : 1866.
(c) Special Laws, Resolutions.
(d) The Journal of the House during the special session begun and held De-
cember, 1865. Salem, Oregon : 1866.
(e) Report of the Adj utant General of the State of Oregon for 1865. Salem, Ore-
gon: 1865.
(/) Message of Governor Addison C. Gibbs, to the legislative assembly, and
accompanying documents for the special session, December 5, 1865. Salem, Ore-
gon: 1865.
(g) Report of the Penitentiary Commissioners for the quarter ending May 31,
1865. Salem, Oregon : 1865.
(h) Report of the Secretary of State.
(i) Report of the State Printer.
House and Senate Journal, 1865:
(a) Same as (d) to (i), inclusive, next above.
(&) and (c) Same as (6) and (c) next above.
Messages and Documents, 1865:
(a) Report of the Secretary of State, September, 1866.
(&) Report of the State Treasurer, September, 1866.
(c) Report of the Commissioners of the University and Common School Fund.
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON. 381
(d) Report of the State Librarian, September, 1866.
(e) Census returns and statements of taxes and bounties.
(/) Copy of deed transferring land to the state on which the State House is
erected.
(g) History of mint, established in 1849.
(ft) Report of the Willamette University, June 4, 1866.
(i) Abstract of votes cast at general election, June 4, 1866.
(j) Abstract of Commissioners of Deeds.
(k) Abstract of Notaries Public.
( I ) Abstract of Articles of Incorporation from September 1, 1864, to August
31, 1866.
(m) to (Z), inclusive, same as (6) to (i), under "Senate and House Journal,
1864-65."
Miscellaneous Documents, Oregon Archives, 1865-80:
(a) In the matter of the State of Oregon, claiming certain lands in said state
as "Swamp and Overflowed" under and by virtue of the actsx>f Congress of Sep-
tember 28, 1850, and March 12, 1860. Correspondence and House Joint Resolution
pertaining thereto.
(&) Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Oregon for 1863-64.
( c) Same for the year 1864.
(d) Same for the year 1865.
(e) to (p), inclusive, same as (a) to (I) next above.
(q) Adjutant General's Report, September, 1868.
(r) Adjutant General's Report, September, 1872.
(s) Reportof the Joint Committee to investigate the manner of the segregation
and sale of the swamp and overflowed lands, 1878.
( O In the Circuit Court of the United States for the District of Oregon, John
Nightingale and S. G. Elliott, plaintiffs, v. The Oregon Central and Oregon and
California Railroad Companies et al., defendants.
Laws of Oregon, 1865-70.
(a) The General Laws of Oregon, passed at the special session, begun and
held December, 1865, Salem, Oregon: 1865.
(6) Resolutions and Memorials passed at the same session as above.
(c) Acts and Resolutions of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon
passed at the fourth regular session, 1866, Salem, Oregon: 1866. Contains an Ap-
pendix.
(d) Joint Resolutions and Memorials.
(e) General Laws of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon, passed at
the third regular session, 1864, and the special session, 1865, omitted by mistake
from the volumes published after the adjournment of said sessions. Ordered pub-
lished by law, approved October 24, 1866.
(/) Reports of the Decisions of the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon, as
filed in the office of the Secretary of State since the publication of 1862. Salem,
Oregon: 1866.
(g) General Laws of the State of Oregon, passed at the fifth regular session of
the legislative assembly thereof, 1868. Salem, Oregon: 1868.
(h) Special Laws, 1868.
(i) Joint Resolutions and Memorials, 1868.
(j) Amendments to the Laws of Oregon compiled in accordance with Sen-
ate Joint Resolution No. 22, directing the publication of all amendments to the
Civil and Criminal Code. Salem, Oregon: 1868.
(k) Acts and Resolutions of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon
passed at the sixth regular session, 1870, and Supreme Court Decisions. Salem,
Oregon: 1870.
382 F. G. YOUNG.
General Laws, Special Laws, Joint Resolutions, Joint Memorials, Supreme
Court Decisions.
Senate and House Journals, 1866:
(a) Journal of the Senate proceedings of the legislative assembly of Oregon
for the fourth regular session, 1866. Salem, Oregon: 1866.
(6) Journal of the proceedings of the House of the legislative assembly of Ore-
gon for the fourth regular session, 1866. Salem, Oregon: 1866.
Appendix: Second Biennial Report of the Physicians of the Oregon Hospital
for the Insane. Adjutant General's report for 1855-56. Report of the Superin-
tendent of the Penitentiary. Report of the Penitentiary Commissioners. House
Joint Resolutions.
Then follows a list of documents that is the same as from (e) to (p)
under "Miscellaneous Documents, Oregon Archives, 1865-80."
Laws of Oregon and Decisions of the Supreme Court, 1866: (a), (6),
(c), and (d) the same as (gr), (ft), (i), and (j) of the "Laws of Oregon,
18765-0, ' ' respectively.
Laws of Oregon and Decisions of the Supreme Court, 1872: Acts
and Resolutions of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon,
passed at the seventh regular session, 1872, and Decisions of the Su-
per me Court. Salem, Oregon: 1872.
General Laws, Special Laws, Joint Resolutions, Joint Memorials, Decisions of
the Supreme Court.
Laws of Oregon and Decisions of the Supreme Court, 1874 : Acts
and Resolutions of the legislative assembly of the State of Oregon,
passed at the eighth regular session, 1874, and Decisions of the Su-
preme Court. General Laws, Special Laws, Joint Resolutions, Joint
Memorials, Decisions of the Supreme Court, September term, 1872 ;
January term, 1873 ; July term, 1873 ; December term, 1873 ; August
term, 1874 ; December term, 1874.
Appendix : Opinion and Findings of M. P. Deady, referee, in the case of the
State of Oregon v. Samuel E. May et al.
The later Archives are arranged in quite uniform series
of publications :
SERIES A. Laws of Oregon. Comprises volumes as follows :
1876 — Ninth regular session.
1878 — Tenth regular session.
1880 — Eleventh regular session.
1882 — Twelfth regular session.
1885 — Thirteenth legislative assembly, special session.
1885 — Thirteenth regular session.
1887 — Fourteenth regular session.
1889 — Fifteenth regular session.
1891 — Sixteenth regular session.
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON. 383
1893 — Seventeenth regular session.
1895 — Eighteenth regular session.
1898 — Twentieth legislative assembly, special session.
1899 — Twentieth regular session.
1901 — Twenty-first regular session.
The contents of the above series are uniformly: General Laws,
Special Laws, Joint Resolutions, Joint Memorials, Names Changed,
Financial Statement. The Joint Resolutions are termed "Concurrent
Resolutions" in the laws of the special session of the twentieth legis-
lative assembly. The Special Laws of the last (twenty-first) regular
session are omitted.
SERIES B. House Journals. Extensive lists of documents are bound
in with the earlier volumes of this series as follows :
1. 1857-58. Legislative assembly of the Territory of Oregon.
Appendix: Librarian's Report. Auditor's Report. University Land Commis-
sioner's Report. Report of the Superintendent of the Penitentiary. Report of
the Condition of the Fund for the Erection of Public Buildings. Treasurer's
Report. Report of the Visiting Committee to the Penitentiary. Auditor's Report
of Claims. Pilot Commissioner's Report.
2. First regular session of the legislative assembly, 1860:
Appendix: Librarian's Report. Report and Memorial concerning Peniten-
tiary. Report of Select Committee on Penitentiary. Memorial relating to agri-
cultural societies. Report of Select Committee on Vessels entering the Columbia
River. Memorial to Congress to establish a Branch of Pilot Service on the Colum-
bia and Western rivers.
3. Session of 1862:
Appendix : Governor's Message. Pardons. Correspondence on Military Mat-
ters. Treasurer's Report. Special Message. Report of sublessee of State Peniten-
tiary. Report of Committee on Military Affairs. Secretary's Report. Librarian's
Report.
4. Special session, 1865.
Appendix ; Report of Adj utant General. Governor's Message. Report of Vis-
iting Committee to the Penitentiary. Report of the Proprietors of the Asylum
for the Insane. Report of the Secretary of State. Report of the condition of the
fund for the erection of Public Buildings. Report of State Printer.
Later volumes have no appendix until the year 1885 is reached,
when the Governor's message and the inaugural addresses are included.
SERIES C. Senate Journal. The series is regular from 1868. There
is a "Senate Journal, 1897," as the Senate succeeded in effecting an
organization that year while the House did not, and therefore the cor-
responding Journal for the House is lacking. The volume for 1897 has
the Governor's Message for an appendix ; the volume for 1901 has the
Governor's Message and Accompanying Documents.''
. i
384
F. G. YOUNG.
SERIES D. Oregon Reports. Decisions of the Supreme Court :
Volume.
Compiler.
Publisher.
Jos. G. Wilson, Clerk.
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
xxm-xxxix
Jos. G.Wilson, Clerk
Jos. G.Wilson, Clerk
C. B. Bellinger, Reporter
C. B. Bellinger, Reporter
C. B. Bellinger, Reporter
C. B. Bellinger, Reporter
C. B. Bellinger, Reporter
T. B. Odeneal, Reporter.
T. B. Odeneal, Re porter .
T. B. Odeneal, Reporter
J. A. Stratton, Reporter
J. A. Stratton, Reporter
J. A. Stratton, Reporter
W. H. Holmes, Reporter
W. H. Holmes, Reporter
W. H. Holmes, Reporter
W. W. Thayer, Chief Justice.
R. S. Strahan, Chief Justice-
Geo. H. Burnett, Reporter—
Geo. H. Burnett, Re porter __.
Geo. H. Burnett, Reporter-
Robert G. Morrow, Reporter.
Banks and Brothers, New York ;
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co.; Bancroft-
Whitney Co., San Francisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., Sa*i Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
A. L. Bancroft & Co., San Fran-
cisco.
Geo. H. Himes, Portland.
M. Waite and W. H. Byars,
Salem.
M. Waite and W. H. Byars,
Salem.
Sumner-Whitney & Co., San
Francisco.
Bancroft-Whitney Co., San Fran-
cisoo
Bancroft^Whitney Co., San Fran-
cisco
Bancroft-Whitney Co., San Fran-
cisco.
Bancroft-Whitney Co., San Fran-
cisco.
Bancroft-Whitney Co., San Fran-
cisco
Frank C. Baker, State Printer,
Salem.
Frank C. Baker, State Printer,
Salem.
Frank C. Baker, State Printer,
Salem.
Frank C. Baker, State Printer,
Salem.
Frank C. Baker, State Printer,
Salem.
W.H.Leeds, State Printer,Salem.
SERIES E. Separate Volumes of Miscellaneous Documents :
Adjutant General's Report, 1865.
Adjutant General's Report, 1865-66.
Adjutant General's Report, 1868.
Adjutant General's Report, 1865-78.
State Board of Equalization Tables, 1891-97.
State Levy of Taxes, 1888-1899.
Report of Committee of Investigation, appointed pursuant House
Joint Resolutions Nos. 8 and 10, passed at the tenth regular session of
legislative assembly. Salem. Oregon : 1877.
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON. 385
Report of Investigating Committee appointed pursuant to Senate
Joint Resolution No. 27, passed at the sixth regular session of the legis-
lative assembly, 1870. Salem, Oregon : 1870.
Briefs in State Cases, 1881.
Report of Secretary of State, 1880. Documents, 1880.
Oregon School Reports, 1883-84.
The early Indian Wars of Oregon, by Frances Puller Victor. Com-
piled from Oregon Archives and other original sources, with Muster
Rolls. Salem, Oregon : 1895
Exercises on the Fortieth Anniversary of the Statehood of Oregon,
February 14, 1899. Held before the legislative assembly.
Report of Secretary of State, 1893-98.
Report of Secretary of State, 1899-1900.
Fish and Game Report, 1897-98. McGuire.
Report of Board of Charities and Corrections. Oregon : 1892.
Report of State Treasurer, 1897-98.
Journal of the Constitutional Convention of the State of Oregon, held
at Salem, commencing August 17, 1857, together with the Constitution
adopted by the people, November 9, 1857. Salem, Oregon : 1882.
386
F. G. YOUNG.
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON.
387
1
8
rH
8 !S
rH 1 rH
1
1
8S?
rH rH
I C^i OS OS OS
t rH r-H rH rH
1
— — | rH
IOSOS IOS
li— 1 rH 1 rH
1 1
1 1
80S
OS
GO QO
rH rH
rH
OS OS 1 OS
OS OS 1 OS
OO GO 1 OO
I— 1 rH 1 rH
1
OS OS
OS OS
GCGO
1 OS OS OS OS OS
1 OS OS OS OS OS
IQOGC OOOC OO
rH rH rH rH
1
os os
QOOO
rH rH
1
r— h- r- h- t> h-
OS OS OS OS OS OS
CO GO 00 00 OOOO
rH rH rH rH rH rH
is
IS
1
OS OS OS OS OS
00
rH
rH
rH
-
rH rH
rH rH rH rH
csc£
00 00
rH rH
U5'C
gg
rH rH
1C O ) iO iO
i os os i OS' os
i oooo i oooo
_H rH t -H rH
1 1
>0
rH
11
1
1
r-:
1
CO I
00
rH
coco
OS OS
oooo
rH rH
CC CO OO CC
os os os os
OO OO GO OO
rH rH rH rH
1
r
i
oooo
rHrH
co co co co
os os os os
ocooocoo
gg§
00 CO CO
IrH
os os
oooo
rH rH
-H rH rH rH
os os os os
GO OO GO GO
rH rH rH rH
i
rH
OS OS OS
co oo co
r^ rH r^
OS OS OS
~fj '/: ^D
1
1
i
1
OS
OO
oO
rH
i
OS
38
rH
1
1
1
-
8
i— i
GO GO
rH — * rH rH
i •
'
.
-
35 CO
rH rH
'
-
f—
|
{
(
C
-vjrciici**!
Anniversary of Statehood of
;
(
:
c
q
c
•
'i
i
:
(
S
C
"• c
- 1
— <r
\\
-H
:r
c
i
c
• r
H i
13 C
- >r
3 :
ll
:-
y
5.
A
)
H
)
3
^ <-
ij
3 •
s!
2j
^ •*•
*J
-* k
j
(
: :
!1
H -
• •
'•4
|1
i <
^r
2
H
J
a c
: c
S-j
!)
3^
a
_o
E
be
•rH
i«
s|i
§|^
,
1
i
f
i
1
f
-4-
r—
r
:
•r-
|
N
1
!
r :
;
- :
y
i •+
; :
;T
i '
i
|
-i
',*
i ;
:£
H -*-
=^
^
w
c
•VH !
3 co'c
j-aj
||1
' «
> 03 t
J§j
Hi
? CiQ
il
V !>
r. "
-.':
II
"^
\\
'-.'
: -
4
^
5
3
Q
i
H
H
I
!i
:v
'" :-
4
c
:
; c
: £
h
- :
-t *r
H
I
j
5
H
4
S
4
>
; -j
:''
3
: ">
Q
P
C
'1
• r
3
K
i»
3 &
1
c
^
:
<
-*
^ '
—
»
8
H
- 'J
i!
1. 1-
0
r
0
r—
:
ȣ
: :
:-
0
:
:t
= j
h
C
1
c
K
p
l\
3.J
r^
t~
5"5o"S
3 « i-, J
- Q JP J
3 X+J<!
^G<fl !
) W Q^
J
^
g
[3
c-
"[
J T
:I
5
:':
y
- c
- :
4
)
i
5
|
: t
-i -
? &
J c
i
n
~ti'~
^ ^
C
be
•*->
CO
jQ
$\
5§1
3 "S3
S ^ --
Astern Oregon District Agr
C
o
»d
§
M
S
02
3 0
3 be
?o
outhern Oregon District Agr
1 CJ^^l^+TT
athern Oregon District Agr
1 Slf^ni at IT
0>rC
|Sff
9?5
fl^^o-c-d "5
c3 S
SH rH
j W
<{rM
«5'5-t;o|55g
Po2POWan020202
BoS^'Sa^jjwa
§«flg|8,|«flfl
itfcaass^ag
^Si'S
«
—• /•? Cu ^^ O ^* i
24844^08!
i — -^^ ^^ —
, S .r. TH O O 43
!cc-cu5a3 „
, P !—• l-l <*«"•<
03
388
F. G. YOUNG.
i
1
^-
1
1—
o
c;
r^
I
O
&
V
0
3
o
M
fl
.«
a>
3
o
In
0
1
a
£
OK
V
O
8
p6
V
"
H
£
d
IH
o
1-3 .
a>
3
A
,
1 1
a> o
•
a
8
I i
INUE
|
0 0
1 1
K
o
1
rtT w
OH °
•
V.'
S -o
fe
8
® a
02
•
** VI
- .
* id
i— i
8
0 I
n
N
CO
5
1 1
£
a |
£
+^ 0?
A
0 5
i
A
2 » a
§ Isl
d documents.
^~
"s
-
a
5
—
,
•
a
a
•^
g
E
c
a
c
4
1
-over to General Sco
ry of Interior,
iht committee appoi
t of visiting physicfc
of inspecting physic
Messages an
PS
B
-i
h
c
V
w
a
1
1
•I
•1
2
•7
c
=
1
i
i
* Appendix.
I Governor Gi
to Secreta
tReport of jo
§ Also : repor
|| Also report
t
~
t
i£
a
»
•C
2
-
.F-
<
Z
(=
1
THE ARCHIVES OF OREGON.
389
03 05
fl s-
-u o3
d >^t>,t>,hi-tp,fc^!^hk.>i.t».!>.!^t^t».>^»i.fc».fc^b^«i.^.»^»i.h^4)
DC
H » -^-^ bp.bp.b-.O'ddSdCCGdaPdGaddSdCdGCHdd
fc ^ «,«.-„
r-i ^ «PH »p* 03 05
rH G C 'JJ '£ ~ >ipQ -QpOpQpQpQpQ,QpQpQpQpQpQpQpQpQpQ,QpQpQ.QpQpQpQ <£ jg P "p q Q p G G Q
H JH JH gj ^ , *,?,*•,", *'.*•,*•.?**'.*'•*•.''.*•.*'•*',? f~ ,*.".*•.*•,*'.'' ^ ^ C5 ^ ^ G !
0 ^S^ 1 1 i 1 1 ill 1 1 1 1 ill 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 |i'l="i 1:
^k ^ ^^ "^ -^ jd ^*. <-<^ i*fc ^». ^*, ^^ >», ^fc. >»» ^^. >^. ^fc. ^fc. — ^ ..—K >». j<«. y«K. >»K ^fc >», -^. ^fc ^fc L_ *W ^ »V -V
< 1-5 1-5'
~T~ i "1 i \ i \ i i i i~ d
— i i i i i ii lit iii i i i C
CLP4 P<O< ' I I III III
H ? S«^«S§<tH^^frJ^^^^lH^J^^fc;^^^^J!J^.-^u^^Jt-J^J s
^ ^
H Ov? ** CO'r-T'pH'p^' , r-Tr-T C^T-^C^rH b()
. », TJ i— I gj
ft tt« ^
. . . ', * •. »,<-X
P1! |j> SSSSS^Sisi^S^SSSSSS^'SSSSSS^S^^^^X S=! fl
JS > O» O» O* G* O» O» O» OB C» C* O* O» flw Oft Go fl» OB Oft Go Go Oft O* O» Ow OB O* QB W
o
0 S J -bS +J -PJ +J +J +J *J *J *s +J +a +J +J -pi -u *J +J -pi +
"1
<M
C
•2
r.
-
00
-
H
8
H
fe
/
-
&
O
H
M
tt
M
w.
M
-
•^ co
^J
Is
2'S
"^^^G
gfi^ltst
^1*5852
a>
^
QC
2
r-H
,0
S
!
—
o
02
•O
<u
pd
cc
• —
3
s
#«^ ^^ ^^ F« ^ ^^ ^^ »^ ^-1 ^^
oooooooooo
i^M-M^-<^Hr*^*^^H,-H^H»^^1*i ^t-'*' -
aaaa&aaaa&i || argils
An account of "Oregon meetings" held at Blooming-
ton, Iowa, in March and April, 1843, copied from a file
of the Ohio Statesman by Professor Joseph Schafer. This
document was taken from the issue of April 26, 1843 :
OREGON MEETING.
From the Bloomington (Iowa) Herald.
At a public meeting held at the schoolhouse in Blooming-ton on Sat-
urday, 19th inst., for the purpose of taking into consideration the pro-
priety of organizing a company to emigrate to Oregon Territory, the
Rev. Geo. M. Hinkle, of Louisa County, was called to the chair, and
Win. P. Smith elected secretary. The chairman having explained
the object of the meeting, Mr. John C. Irwin, chairman of the com-
mittee appointed for that purpose at a previous meeting, made the fol-
lowing report :
Your committee, who were appointed to draft a report to be made
to this meeting, beg leave to submit the following, to wit :
That from the information they have obtained from various sources,
they believe the Oregon Territory to be far superior in many respects
to any other portion of the United States ; they believe it to be superior
in climate, in health, in water privileges, in timber, in convenience to
market, and in many other respects ; they believe it to be well adapted
to agriculture and stock raising ; also holding out great inducements
to mechanics of the various branches ; they would, therefore, recom-
mend to every person possessing the enterprise and patriotic spirit of
the true American citizen, to emigrate to the Oregon Territory at as
early a date as possible, and thereby secure to themselves a permanent
and happy home, and to their country one of the fairest portions of her
domain. In order to bring this subject more fairly before this meet-
ing, your committee beg leave to submit the following resolutions for
consideration and adoption :
Resolved, That the company here formed start from this place
(Bloomington) on the tenth day ol May next, on their journey to Oregon.
Resolved, That the route taken by the company shall be from here
to Iowa City; from thence to Council Bluffs ; and from thence to the
most suitable point on the road from Independence to Oregon ; from
thence by way of the Independence road to Oregon.
OREGON MEETING IN IOWA. 391
Resolved, That the company leave or pass through Iowa City on the
twelfth day of May next, and invite other companies to join.
Resolved, That each and every individual, as an outfit, provide him-
self with 100 pounds flour, 30 pounds bacon, 1 peck salt, 3 pounds pow-
der, in horns or canteens, 15 pounds lead or shot, and one good tent
cloth to every six persons : every man well armed and equipped with
gun, tomahawk, knife, etc.
Resolved, That all persons taking teams be advised to take oxen or
mules ; also that each single man provide himself with a mule or pony.
Resolved, That we now appoint a corresponding secretary, whose
name shall be made public ; whose duty it shall be to correspond with
individuals in this country, and with companies at a distance ; receive
and communicate all the information that he may deem expedient.
Resolved, That the members of the association meet on the last Sat-
urday in April next for the purpose of a more complete organization.
On motion of Mr. Purcell,-
Resolved, That the resolutions just offered be taken up and read
separately, which was agreed.
From the first to the seventh article of the resolutions were voted
for unanimously, with the request that those who wished to join the
company would particularly look to the fourth and fifth resolutions.
On motion of Mr. Irwin adjourned till 2 o'clock.
2 o'clock P. M.
Pursuant to adjournment, the meeting met, and being called to
order, proceeded to the regular business of the day. Rev. M. Fisher,
General Clark, Rev. G. M. Hinkle, Judge Williams, Stephen Witcher,
Esq., and J. B. Barker, Esq., addressed the meeting with very elo-
quent and appropriate addresses in behalf of those persons who wish
to emigrate to Oregon.
On motion of Mr. Irwin, General Clark was requested to act as cor-
responding secretary for the company until its final organization and
departure for Oregon. Also, that a committee of three be appointed
to act in conjunction with the corresponding secretary, in the trans-
action of any business for the advancement of the interests of the
company. John W. Humphreys, Barton Lee, and Thos. Gartland
were appointed said committe.
On motion —
Resolved, That the ladies, and all others friendly to the settlement
of Oregon, be respectfully invited to attend, and that the Rev. Mr.
Hinkle and others be invited to address the assembly.
On motion—
Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the
chairman and secretary, and be published in the Bloomington Herald.
On motion of Rev. Mr. Fisher, the meeting adjourned till Friday,
31st inst.
W. F. SMITH, Secretary. G. M. HINKLE, President
392 DOCUMENTS.
Saturday, April 1, 1843.
The meeting was organized by calling David Hendershott to the
chair, and Silas A. Hudson as secretary; when, on motion of James G.
Edwards, the report of the committee read in part on Saturday last,
was ordered to be read in full.
Mr. Hight, from the committee of correspondence, made the follow-
ing report:
Your committee of correspondence beg leave to report that they
have written to Independence, Missouri, and to Columbus, Ohio, and
have requested information, and also have proposed to join at some
point this side of the mountains. Your committee have also thought
it proper to submit a set of resolutions for your consideration, which
ought to govern the company. It is expressly understood that we emi-
grate to Oregon for the purpose of settlement; men of families are
requested to join; we have already engaged a physician, and expect a
chaplain to accompany the enterprise.
Organization of the Oregon Emigration Society. — There shall be elected
one captain, four sergeants, and as soon as the company shall arrive at
the gap of the Rocky Mountains, and consists of not less than one hun-
dred men, they may choose one first and one second lieutenant. The
captain and the four officers next in rank shall direct all the move-
ments, and make all arrangements of the society for their march; and
they shall act as directors, and shall qualify candidates and receive
them as such at their discretion. They shall have charge of the funds
of the company; shall choose their own clerk, who shall keep a regular
account of all moneys expended and the amount on hand; and the di-
rectors shall report to the company monthly. The clerk shall keep a
regular journal of the march. No negroes or mulattoes shall be al-
lowed to accompany the expedition under any pretenses whatever.
Equipment. — Rifle gun, to carry from thirty-two to sixty bullets
to the pound, and a tomahawk and knife, $16 ; one chopping axe, spade,
etc., $2; 100 pounds side bacon, $3; 1 barrel flour and one peck salt,
$2.25; | pound cayenne pepper, 1 barrel beans, $1 ; 1 canteen, and 1
blanket, $5 ; 1 tent to every six men, $6 ; 1 wagon and 2 yoke of oxen
to six men, $150 ; 1 pony or mule, $60 ; teams and horses to be shod,
and spare shoes ; i barrel, iron hooped, to each wagon, for carrying
water, $1.50. To each wagon 3 sets plow irons ; 1 cradling scythe to
each wagon, all mechanical tools to be taken ; $20 cash to be deposited
with the directors for company use.
Every man ought to carry with him a Bible and other religious
books, as we hope not to degenerate into a state of barbarism.
The whole amount necessary for each man, without a horse, will be
about $65.
As soon as fifty men shall have joined and been inspected, and found
competent, they shall choose their officers, and then agree as to the
KENTUCKY MEMORIAL. 393
time to take up the line of march. We shall pass through Mt. Pleas-
ant, and to the agency, and thence the best route to Council Bluff.
Mr. Edwards moved that the report be adopted and printed, which
was agreed to, when, on motion of General Hight, the meeting ad-
journed to meet on Saturday, April 8th, at 2 o'clock p. M.
MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS.
BY CITIZENS OF KENTUCKY, JANUARY 13, 1840.
To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States in Congress assembled :
Your petitioners respectfully suggest : That the Government of the
United States ought to plant a colony in the Oregon Territory, and
give it such nurture in its infancy as to enable it to get a hold suffi-
ciently permanent for it, by industry, to make the many natural ad-
vantages of that vast region contribute to the wealth and prosperity
of our nation. To crown this enterprise with success, they believe it
to be expedient to have a road cut from some of the towns on the Mis-
souri River, across the Rocky Mountains to Astoria, at the mouth of
the Oregon River. As soon as this passage can be opened, a colony of
farmers and mechanics should be conducted across the mountains and
settled, with a military power, stationed strong enough to protect the
colony. Donations of land should be made to those who would become
actual settlers, sufficiently large to induce emigration. At a conven-
ient distance across the mountains small garrisons should be placed, to
protect travelers from the hostilities of the Indians. Under these ar-
rangements, with such additions as you in your wisdom may make, a
settlement in that territory can be made, which will doubtless redound
to the advantage of this country. Your petitioners believe there are
but few sections of country in North America embracing more advan-
tages than that region. Its climate is said to be more temperate than
the climate of any other country situated in a similar latitude. Its
soil is fertile and well adapted to the growth of all kinds of agricul-
tural products. Its valuable fisheries would be a splendid accession of
wealth to the United States; its peltries, for a time, would be im-
mensely profitable. A settlement in that country would afford more
extended range to the pursuit of agriculture, into which it is our na-
tion's interest to induce as many as possible ; when markets shall be
opened for the products of this country, its rivers will afford advanta-
geous facilities of navigation. The commercial position of this coun-
try must not be overlooked. The East India trade, which enriched
the Phoenicians, the Jews, and all succeeding nations, which have been
so fortunate as to enjoy its trade, is more convenient to this quarter of
the country than any commercial point in the United States or Europe.
The estuary of the Oregon River is said to afford a safe, easy, and
394 DOCUMENTS.
commodious harbor. Were a trade carried on between this point and
the East Indies, the perilous navigation of dangerous seas, to which
our commerce with that quarter is unavoidably exposed, would be ob-
viated. With a little energy and an inconsiderable expense, compared
with the magnitude of the design, we can have the luxuries and rich-
est products of the Oriental climes brought up the Oregon River, over
the snowy heights of the Rocky Mountains, and poured out into the
lap of the prosperous West.
Your petitioners feeling a lively interest in speedily securing so
many important advantages for their country, therefore pray, that your
honorable body will, by law, afford the necessary facilities as soon as
practicable, to settle the Oregon Territory in the manner suggested in
this petition.
H. Hough, Fielding Friend, Samuel Haycraft, J. R. Boyce, C. S.
Craig, James W. Hays, F. W. Foreman, S. D. Winterbower, R. G. Hays,
John H. Thomas, J. W. Miller, E. S. Brown, Nathaniel McLane, James
W. Smith, E. H. Haycraft, P. S. Wood, Samuel J. Stuart, Wm. D. Ver-
trus, P. W. D. Stone, W. S. Morris, Thomas Morris, John Arnold, W.
S. English, W. E. English, Stephen Eliot, Arthur Park, Wm. C. Van
Mater.
ELIZABETHTOWN, Kentucky, January 13, 1840.
TALLMADGE B. WOOD LETTER.
The following letter, written by Tallmadge B. Wood,
was secured through Miss Florence E. Baker, of the Wis-
consin State Historical Society. Tallmadge B. Wood
was without doubt the Benjamin Wood of whose murder
by Indians in the California mines in 1848 Mrs. Fannie
Clayton gives a circumstantial account in the June QUAR-
TERLY, 1901, pages 180-181. As the letter and other evi-
dence indicate, he was prominent in the direction of the
emigration of 1843.
Miss Baker supplies the note below, descriptive of the
letter; also the following facts: "Mr. Wood was born July
5, 1817, and was the son of Jesse and Rebecca (Bryan)
Wood, and grandson of Benjamin Wood. They lived in
the township of Milton, and their post office was Ballston
Spa, Saratoga County, New York. His sister was Mrs.
(Wood) Stinner, [?] who founded a seminary for young
LETTER OF TALLMADGE B. WOOD. 395
ladies at Mount Carroll, Illinois. He came from a fine
family of educated Christian people.
Copy of a letter written by Tallmadge B. Wood, about
April, 1844, from Willamette Falls, Oregon, to his friends
at Milton, Saratoga County, New York. The letter is
written on large foolscap paper, tinted blue, and the lines
on which the writing is placed are a shade of darker blue.
This letter was nicely written ; the letters were at a slant
of about forty-five degrees. — Florence E. Baker.
One year has elapsed since I had an opportunity of communicating
with you ; x at which time you doubtless recollect receiving- a letter from
me, which was mailed at Missouri ; & in which I informed you of my
intention to take a trip to Oregon, which I accordingly did, & after
seven months tedious traveling, arrived at Willamet Fall, on a branch
of the Columbia River. My road lay through a Savage country, a dis-
tance of Twenty-three hundred miles, which you are aware makes it
necessary to travel in caravans. As I presume you have a curiosity to
know how we journeyed, & the country &c , I will attempt to give you
as much of a description as the limited space of a letter will allow ; I set
out (from Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, which is the gen-
eral place of rendezvous for emigrants to this country ;) April 25th,
1843 ; in a company of One thousand : three hundred of which were
able men ; the remainder were women & children.
There was three [one] hundred & twenty wagons, drawn by oxen or
mules (chiefly oxen) of about three yoke to each wagon ;9 they per-
formed the journey admirably, I was myself equipped with two yoke
of cattle, to haul my provisions; two Horses & one Mule, to ride by
turn, & though my horses & mule were of the best quality, they were
not sufficient to carry me the whole distance. We also had about two
thousand head of cows, young cattle, & horses. We traveled in some
confusion, 'till we arrived at Con [Kaw or Kansas] River, a distance of
about ninety miles from Missouri line ; We there found it necessary to
have some order in traveling, for which purpose we elected Officers, &
came under a sort of military discipline, & thus marched very pleasantly
through a fertile country, until we arrived at Blue River, a branch of
the Con. [ * * ] Here we found our stock was too large to get sufficient
sustenance from one campground, therefore we concluded tosepperate
& form two divisions, & march a few miles apart. I had the honor of
being second in command, of the division in which I traveled. We
struck Big Platte River about 300 miles from the Missouri line. We
» Compare with statistics given in Burnett's letters following.
6
396 DOCUMENTS.
traveled up the river a few days & crossed South Platte, passed
through Black hills, crossed the North Platte & steered our course
towards Sweet Water which we struck at the entrance of the pass
through the Rocky Mountains which place is called Independence-
Rock, So named from the circumstance of the Mountaineers meeting
here to celebrate the Fourth. The pass through the Mountains is
about Ninety miles but so gradual, that the traveler would scarcely
perceive he was ascending, were it not for the -great change in the
atmosphere. We were on the Divide in July, & saw ice every morning,
At no great distance on the right & left, are very high, snow peaks,
We found great abundance of game from South Platte, until we left
Sweet Water. I amused myself very well in killing Buffaloes though
it was old sport to me. After crossing the Mountains, we passed Green
River (or Colrado of the west;) Struck Bear River & followed it up
to the Soda Springs. These Springs (which are numerous at this
place) are among the great curiosities of the west; The waters of
these springs are similar in flavour to those of Ballston & Saratoga,
though some of them are very cold and much stronger, while there are
others very hot. We arrived at Port Hall the last of September.
Here, (though two thirds the distance was passed);10 the difficulties of
the journey just commenced, though not so difficult as had been rep-
resented, yet the roads from this place were very rough & grass in
many places very scarce. We followed down Snake River, passed the
Blue Mountains & arrived at the very foot of the Cascades; Here
many left their wagons & descended the Columbia River in boats,
while others crossed the Cascades (a distance of Ninety miles). But
the emigrants all arrived in the Valley between the Cascades & Pacific '
Ocean, about the last of November. The whole distance, from the
Platte River, to the east base of the Blue Mountains, is entirely unfit
for the residence of civilized man, and is inhabited only by wandering
tribes of hostile Indians. They however did not trouble the Emigra-
tion, as the Sight of so large a body of whites, was sufficient to quell
all hostility. The country from the eastern base of the Blue Moun-
tains, to the Cascades, is peculiarly adapted to grazing purposes. The
Indians in this vicinity, are not hostile, & are quite enterprising.
They are anxious to own cattle & some are getting considerable herds
they are also very fond of horses & some individual Indians own sev-
eral thousand head of the handsomest I ever saw. The country be-
tween the Cascades & the Sea coast is some parts very heavy timbered
lands, with a deep, rich soil though rather broken to please a western
man. The size of the timber is enormous, there being abundance of
trees measuring three hundred feet in height, & some as large as
twenty feet in diameter. Big trees ! but it is a fact. The timber of
10 Compare with table of distances in Burnett letters.
LETTER OF TALLMADGE B. WOOD. 397
this country is of a different kind from that of the states though gen-
erally of the Pine & Ceder species, with the exception of Oak & Soft
Maple. The Prairies of this country are beautiful, full equal to any
in Missouri or Illanois. They are generally found on the head of water
courses. The land produces most all the productions of the States, in
great perfection, except corn. Wheat is raised here in large quanti-
ties which is exported (by the Hudspn Bay Co. ) to the Islands & northern
Russia. Wheat is worth one Dollar per bushel, Beef $6 per hundred.
Pork $10 per hundred. These prices will probably hold good, & may
increase as soon as we can produce a surplus sufficient to supply the
Whaling Vessels, which will induce them to make more frequent calls
on us. The first settlers here, were men who were discharged from
the service of the Hudson Bay Co. & as they draw all their wages in
Supplies; & all the cash brought here by emigrants goes immediately
into the hands of merchants and is taken out of the country ; hence
we are left entirely destitute of a cash currency. Yet we have a cur-
rency which is not liable to fluctuations ; any responsible man's order
is good with the merchants for their amount in goods; & these orders
are finally redeemed in Wheat, Pork or Beef. The Indians on the
Columbia are a cowardly, thievish, indolent race of beings, subsisting
almost entirely on Fish. The Indians on the coast are in small bands
& disunited, on which circumstance the safety of the settlers of Oregon
much depends ; We however, had a small affray with them a few days
ago, in which one white man was killed & one Indian. The Territory
is well supplied with navigable streams & mill privileges. As to the
climate I can speak only of the past winter, during which we have'
had no snow, & the grass has been in growing condition the whole
winter, in short it has been the most pleasant (so far) I ever experienced
in any country. It is exceedingly healthy, there is no sickness in the
country at present, & although the emigrants were so much exposed
during the journey, there has been but two deaths since our arrival.-
The whole white population is probably about Fifteen Hundred. We,
the citizens of Oregon, are very anxious that the United States should
extend her jurisdiction over this territory. & render us some means of
protection, as we should be incapable of protecting ourselves in case
of general hostilities with the Indians.
For my part, I am much pleased with the prospects of the country.
I have a location immediately on the Columbia River, in sight of the
great Pacific, I can go to & return from the coast, in a small boat with
one tide, which ebbs & flows 8 & ten feet. I am engaged in partnership
with two other persons, in having erected two saw mills & a grist Mill,
we are making good progress, & will soon have one in opperation. I
believe we have an as advantageous a mill sight as any in America.
We intend exporting our lumber to the Islands, as there is a veiy great
demand for it, & as one of the gentlemen with whom I am engaged,
398 DOCUMENTS.
has two Brigs in the Island trade, our expenses for exportation will be
trifling :-
Just say (for me) to the young men of old Milton, Don't live & die in
sight of your Father's house, but take a trip to Oregon! you can per-
form the journey in two years & I am sure you will never regret spend-
ing the time. But, if they should come to settle here, I would advise
them, to bring a wife along, as ladies are (like the specie) very scarce.
And if you have any maiden ladies about dying in despair, just fit up
their teeth well, & send them to Oregon.
I shall have an opportunity to write to you again when our ships
leave, which will be in July or August. T. B. WOOD."
[Printed in the New York Herald in 1844-45.]
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT.
Burnett in his "Recollections of an Old Pioneer," page
177, says : "During the winter of 1843-44 I had, while at
Linnton, written some hundred and twenty-five foolscap
pages of manuscript giving a description of the journey
and of the country along the route, as well as of Oregon.
I had stated the exact truth to the best of my knowledge,
information, and belief ; and my communications were
published in the New York Herald, and were extensively
read, especially in the western states."
The Herald (daily) of Saturday morning, December 28,
1844, says editorially : "We received yesterday, and pub-
lish in our columns this morning, some very interesting
intelligence from the Oregon Territory, which is now a
subject of very important negotiation between our govern-
ment and that of England, and will probably be a matter
of great debate in Congress."
The Herald published five different sections of the Bur-
nett material in the form of five letters, four in the daily
and one in the weekly. In addition to this, the weekly of
December 28, 1844, published the same matter found in
the daily of the same date. The daily of January 6, 1845,
published the second and fourth sections — two letters in
the same issue. It is evident that the Herald rearranged
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 399
the order of the sections in printing. It printed first —
the installment of December 28, 1844 — what was probably
the closing portion of the manuscript. The sections are
given below in what appears to be their natural order —
the order in which they were composed. This Burnett
material was sent to New York naturally under one en-
closure.
If Burnett wrote at this time "some hundred and twenty-
five pages of foolscap," as he says he did, not more than
half of his manuscript was printed by the Herald. For
that number of pages of foolscap published would have
filled at least fifteen columns of the Herald, whereas the
matter printed constituted hardly seven and one fourth
columns ; and I shall point out later that it is almost cer-
tain that this Burnett manuscript, as a whole, was used for
the Wilkes' account of the migration of 1843, and Wilkes
covers the whole trip, and not merely a portion of it, as do
the Herald letters.
In his "Recollections," page 101, Burnett says : "I kept
a concise journal of the trip as far as Walla Walla, and
have it now before me." This journal no doubt furnished
the basis of his narrative in the first four letters and of
the twenty-seven pages in his "Recollections" in which he
describes the trip. In fact, the resemblance between this
part of the "Recollections" and these letters is so striking
and of such a character as to suggest that this part of the
"Recollections" was written up from a first draft of the
letters, which he would naturally have retained and pre-
served when sending the letters to the Herald. The his-
torical significance of this probability is that it intakes this
portion of the "Recollections" virtually a contemporary
source for the whole of the migration of 1843.
The last date on the journey given by the letters is June
27th. Yet it seems almost certain that the copy sent by
Burnett to the Herald covered the whole trip. One reason
400 DOCUMENTS.
for this inference is found in Burnett's statement of the
amount of copy that he sent — "some hundred and twenty-
five pages of foolscap ;" a second distinct basis for this
conclusion is found in connection with George Wilkes'
"History of Oregon," published in New York in 1845.
The title page of that book reads as follows : " The History
of Oregon, Geographical and Political, by George Wilkes.
Embracing an analysis of the old Spanish claims, the
British pretensions, the United States title ; an account of
the present condition and character of the country, and a
thorough examination of the project of a national railroad,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. To which is added
a journal of the events of the celebrated emigrating expe-
dition a? 1843 ; containing an account of the route from
Missouri to Astoria, a table of distances, and the physical
and political description of the territory, and its settle-
ments, by a member of the recently organized Oregon
legislature." In the preface the reference to the journal
mentioned in the title is as follows : "The second part of
the work consists of a journal, prepared from a series of
letters written by a gentleman now in Oregon, who himself
accompanied the celebrated emigrating expedition of
1843." After a sentence about the style of the letters he
goes on to say : "The author (Wilkes) has done scarcely
more to this portion than to throw it into chapters, and
to strike from it such historical and geographical statistics
as had been drawn from other sources and arranged in
the preceding portions of the work. These letters fell into
his hands after the adoption and commencement of his
original Design ; and adapting them to his purposes by
linking them with his own manuscripts, a deal of research
was saved him by the valuable and peculiar information
they contributed." These statements by Wilkes concern-
ing the author and the character of the material used by
him in Part II of his book, along with indubitable internal
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 401
evidence, prove conclusively that the whole Burnett man-
uscript sent to the New York Herald, part of which was
printed in the Herald and is now reprinted below, was the
basis of Wilkes' book. Wilkes, however, asserts that he
"has done scarcely more to this portion (Part II) than to
throw it into chapters and to strike from it such historical
and geographical statistics," etc. The following excerpts
from his version, when compared to the corresponding
portions of the Burnett narrative in the letters, prove that
Wilkes took such liberties with the original as in his judg-
ment were necessary to make an interesting story, and to
support the contention of his book, namely, that the route
was a practicable one for a national railroad. To realize
how freely Wilkes used his imagination, along with the
Burnett text, it is only necessary to compare the following
transcript from the opening, paragraphs of Part II of
Wilkes' book with the first page or two of the letters:
It is not necessary, to the object in view, that the writer of this
journal should furnish the reason which induced him to turn his face
toward the wilderness. Let it suffice that on the morning of the seven-
teenth of May, 1843, I (to drop the third person) mounted my horse in
Independence, Missouri, and set out for the general rendezvous. This
was situated in a little spot about twenty miles distant, in a southeast
direction. I did not start alone. A family of the name of Robbins,
from the northern part of Pennsylvania, were my companions. The
party consisted of a husband and wife, two chubby boys, one six and
the other eight years of age, and a bouncing baby of eighteen months,
or thereabouts.
After having examined for the twentieth time if all the necessaries
required for the journey were properly stowed away in the wagon, and
after having for the last time jerked at the trace, settled this and that
portion of the harness, looked under the horses, passed his hand over
the near one's flank, and walked completely around the concern, John
Robbins mounted his seat, gave a sonorous ahem! in evidence of his
complete satisfaction, and describing a preparatory circle with his lash,
was about bringing it down on the backs of his team, when a little cir-
cumstance in the body of his wagon interrupted his purpose and soft-
ened the threatened sweep of the gad into an oblique flourish that spent
its elegance in a faint snap near the ground.
402 DOCUMENTS.
He had turned his head for the twenty-first time to see that all was
right in the canvass domicile behind, when he discerned that Mrs.
Robbins was yielding1 to the weakness of her bosom at the separation
of the last link that bound her to the associations of early youth, and
to the ties of friends and home. The husband kissed away the tears
that were tumbling over her full and rosy cheek, spoke a word of en-
couragement in her ear, and then with a moistened eye himself, turned
hastily to his place, brought the whip sharply down, set his features as
rigid as a decemvir's, and rattled off at a pace that soon jolted off every
vestige of sadness or depression, amid the cheers of a large circle of
friends and well-wishers, who had gathered to see us off, and whose
benisons floated after us upon the air as if they were unwilling to resign
this living evidence of their continual guardianship.
Wilkes continues in this strain through some seven
closely printed pages, when he brings in the following
incident (it occurred in connection with the meeting for
organization held at Big Spring, May 20th):
The strange assemblage was gathered from various sections of the
country ; they were agitated with various views, and naturally sepa-
rated into various cliques. Most of them had their favorite plans
already cut and dried, and their nominees were all ready to wear the
chieftain's mantle. A stormy session was the consequence, and it was
evident that the question of commandership would not be decided this
day. In the middle of the uproar of the first hour Dumberton, who had
given his hair an extra intellectual rush from the front, and arranged
the snuff-colored garments in style of superlative finish, managed to
obtain the ear of the assemblage. After having waved the crowd into
profound silence, he commenced an eulogium on the character of
Washington ; made patriotic allusions to the Revolution, and the late
war ; touched on the battle of New Orleans ; apostrophised the Amer-
ican eagle, and then wound up his introduction with a very meaning
sentiment leveled with great force and earnestness at the "iron arm of
despotism." Imagining that he had fairly taken captive the admira-
tion of his audience, Mr. Dumberton, of Big Pigeon, came to the point
of his address, and gravely proposed that the emigration should adopt
the criminal laws of Missouri and Tennessee for its future government.
No sooner had the speaker delivered himself of his proposition than
McFarley, who had been chafing like a stung bull for the last half hour,
sprang up, and remarked that since the gentleman from Big Pigeon
had found out that we had robbers and thieves among us, he (McFarley)
would move that a penitentiary be engaged to travel in company if his
proposal should pass.
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 403
Wilkes requires over five thousand words to reach the
account of the above incident. Burnett's narrative uses
less than four hundred. The above excerpts might raise
the suspicion that the letters that Wilkes represents he is
using are not the Burnett letters. The transcript given
below will, I think, dispel all doubts :
There is perhaps no flesh more delicious to the traveler's appetite
than buffalo meat, particularly that cut from a fat young buffalo cow;
and it has the peculiar advantage of allowing you to eat as much as you
please without either surfeit or oppression. I shall never forget the
exquisite meal I made on the evening of the first of June. I had been
out hunting all day, was very weary, and as hungry as a whole wilder-
ness of tigers. Out of compassion for my complete fatigue, Mrs. Bur-
nett cooked six large slices from a fat young buffalo for my supper.
My extravagant hunger induced me to believe when I first saw the
formidable array served up, that I could readily dispose of three of
them. I did eat three of them, but I found they were but the prologue
for the fourth, the fourth to the fifth, and that to the sixth, and I verily
believe that had the line stretched out the crack of doom I should have
staked my fate upon another and another collop of the prairie king.
This story hardly does me credit, but the worst is to come, for two
hours afterward I shared the supper of Dumberton, and on passing
Captain Gant's tent on my way home I accepted an invitation from him
to a bit of broiled tongue ; yet even after this, I went to bed with an
unsatisfied appetite. I am no cormorant, though I must admit I acted
very much like one on this occasion. My only consolation and excuse,
however, is that I was not a single instance of voracity in my attacks
upon broiled buffalo meat.
This story should be compared with the latter part of
the third letter. Comments are quite unnecessary.
Wilkes' tactics in rendering Burnett's letters are not
merely those of one who would conceal authorship but
those of one who deliberately perverts history. He not only
changes the names of emigrants, but is careful to repre-
sent that Burnett is not the author of his text. On page
65, he says : "I should not omit to mention here, that I
was also introduced this afternoon to Mr. Peter H. Bur-
nett, who was subsequently made captain of the expedi-
tion." He not only garbles, but deliberately falsifies. On
404 DOCUMENTS.
page 82, he says : "The region we passed through from the
thirtieth of July up to the twenty-ninth of August, com-
prised all the passes through to Rocky Mountains, and
was by far the most arduous and difficult portion of the
whole journey." Between these dates the emigration pro-
ceeded from the headwaters of the Sweetwater to Fort
Hall ; but Burnett, in his "Recollections," as explicitly
affirms that the most difficult and arduous portion of the
journey was not encountered until the emigration had
passed Fort Hall. The editor thought it worth while to
go into the question of the relation of these important
sources, that are now being made generally accessible, to
one that should be condemned. His conclusions have
important applications to the Whitman controversy.
The conclusions are (A) that the more important con-
temporary sources, so far as known, of data on the migra-
tion of 1843 and of Doctor Whitman's services to it are
(a) Burnett's Journal (unpublished) in the possession of his
descendants ; (b) the Burnett Herald letters given below ;
(c) the letter of Tallmadge B. Wood, printed for the first
time in this number of the QUARTERLY ; (d) a letter by
M. M. McCarver, dated November 6, 1843, to Hon. A. C.
Dodge, delegate to Congress from Iowa, printed in the
Burlington Gazette and reprinted in the Ohio Statesman.
This letter will be reproduced in the next number of the
QUARTERLY. (e) Excerpt from New Orleans Picayune,
November 21, 1843, reprinted in QUARTERLY, vol. I, pages
398-401. (B) The account given in Part II of Wilkes'
History of Oregon, purporting to be a faithful rendering
of a contemporary journal is a more or less garbled ver-
sion of the Burnett manuscript sent from Linnton to
James G. Bennett which fell into the hands of Wilkes.
[The editor is indebted to Professor Joseph Schafer for
the data of this criticism.]
LETTERS OP PETER H. BURNETT. 405
[From New York Herald, January 5, 1845.]
LINNTON, Oregon Territory, January 18, 1844.
James G. Bennett, Esq.-
DEAR SIR : Having arrived safely in this beautiful country, and
having seen, at least, its main features, I propose to give you some
concise description of the same, as well as a short history of our trip.
I reached the rendezvous, twenty miles from Independence, on the
seventeenth of May, and found a large body of emigrants there, wait-
ing for the company to start. On the 18th we held a meeting, and ap-
pointed a committee to see Doctor Whitman, for the purpose of obtain-
ing information in regard to the practicability of the trip. Other
committees were also appointed, and the meeting adjourned to meet
again, at the Big Spring, on the 20th. On the 20th, all the emigrants,
with few exceptions, were there, as well as several from the western
part of Missouri. The object of the meeting was to organize, by adopt-
ing some rules for our government. The emigrants were from various
places, unacquainted with each other, and there were among them
many persons emulous of distinction, and anxious to wear the honors
of the company. A great difference of opinion existed as to the proper
mode of organization, and many strange propositions were made. I
was much amused at some of them. A fat, robust, old gentleman, who
had, as he said, a great deal of "beatherlusian," whose name was Mc-
Healy, proposed that the company, by contribution, should purchase
two wagons and teams for the purpose of hauling two large boats, to
be taken all the way with us, that we might be able to cross the
streams. A red-faced old gentleman from east Tennessee state, high
up on Big Pidgeon, near KitBullard's Mill, whose name was Dulany,
generally styled "Captain," most seriously proposed that the meeting
should adopt the criminal laws of Missouri or Tennessee, for the gov-
ernment of the company. This proposition he supported by an able
speech, and several speeches were made in reply. Some one privately
suggested that we should also take along a penitentiary, if Captain
Dulany 's proposition should pass. These two propositions were voted
for by the movers alone. A set of rules were adopted, a copy of which
I send you. Capt. John Grant [Gant?] was employed as our pilot, and
a general understanding that we should start on the 22d.
On the twenty-second of May, we commenced one of the most ardu-
ous and important trips undertaken in modern times. We traveled
fifteen miles, to Elm Grove, where we encamped for the night. The
road and weather were most delightful, and the place of encampment
most beautiful. There are only two trees in this grove— both elms—
and I have learned for the first time that two trees could compose a
grove. The small elm was most beautiful, in the wild and lonely
prairie, and the large one had been so, but its branches had been cut
406 DOCUMENTS.
off for fuel. A few small swamp dogwood bushes supplied us with
fuel — and we found fuel scarcer at no place on the road than at this
point. The weather since the thirteenth of May had been fine. I
have never witnessed a scene more beautiful than this. Elm Grove
stands in a wide, gently undulating- prairie. The moon shed her
silvery light upon the white sheets of sixty wagons ; a thousand herd of
cattle grazed upon the surrounding plain ; fifty camp fires sent up their
brilliant flames, and the sound of the sweet violin was heard in the
tents. All was stir and excitement—
"The scene was more beautiful far to my eye,
Than if day in its pride had arrayed it;
The land breeze blew mild, and the azure arched sky
Looked pure as the Spirit that made it."
At the rendezvous, as well as elsewhere, we were greatly amused by
the drolleries of many a curious wag. Among the rest was J. M. Ware,
a most pleasant fellow, droll, original, like no one else, who had seen
some of the world, and whose mimicry, dry wit, graphic descriptions,
and comic songs, afforded us infinite amusement. Many of our friends,
who came to visit us at the rendezvous, will never forget the pleasant
evenings they spent, while witnessing the exhibitions of this comical
fellow. Ware was an old bachelor, with all the eccentricity usually
belonging to that sweet class of fellows. The whole camp were con-
stantly singing his songs, and telling his tales. Among the rest he
sang—
" If I had a donkey that wouldn't go,
Do you think I'd wallup him? no! no! no!"
And also—
"A gay young crow was sitting on an oak."
I remember well his description of George Swartz, a Dutchman, in
Kentucky, who turned out a preacher. Ware said he knew him well,
and was present and heard George preach his first sermon. He said
George gravely arose in the pulpit, and after gazing some time around
him, in a loud and commanding voice he commenced : "Me tinks I
hear my Savior say, 'Shorge, what you doin' up dar in dat bulpit?'
Me say neber mind Shorge — he knows what he's 'bout — he's goin'
breachin ; brethren, let us bray. I tank de, O Lort Got, dat a few
names of us have come up to worship in dy house, through the inclem-
ency of de mud." I will just say that Ware is here, safe and sound,
and I expect to hear him repeat many of his comicalities. A few such
men, on a trip like this, can beguile many a lonesome hour, and soften
the asperities of the way.
The following are the rules and regulations for the government of
the Oregon Emigrating Company :
Resolved, Whereas we deem it necessary for the government of all
societies, either civil or military, to adopt certain rules and regula-
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 407
tions for their government, for the purpose of keeping good order and
promoting civil and military discipline. In order to insure union and
safety, we deem it necessary to adopt the following rules and regula-
tions for the government of the said company :—
Rule 1. Every male person of the age of sixteen, or upward, shall be consid-
ered a legal voter in all affairs relating to the company.
Rule 2. There shall be nine men elected by a majority of the company, who
shall form a council, whose duty it shall be to settle all disputes arising between
individuals, and to try and pass sentence on all persons for any act for which they
may be guilty, which is subversive of good order and military discipline. They
shall take especial cognizance of all sentinels and members of the guard, who may
be guilty of neglect of duty, or sleeping on post. Such persons shall be tried, and
sentence passed upon them at the discretion of the council. A majority of two
thirds of the council shall decide all questions that may come before them, sub-
ject to the approval or disapproval of the captain. If the captain disapprove of the
decision of the council, he shall state to them his reasons, when they shall again
pass upon the question, and if the same decision is again made by the same ma-
jority, it shall be final.
Rule 3. There shall be a captain elected who shall have supreme military
command of the company. It shall be the duty of the captain to maintain good
order and strict discipline, and as far as practicable, to enforce all rules and reg-
ulations adopted by the company. Any man who shall be guilty of disobedience
of orders shall be tried and sentenced at the discretion of the council, which may
extend to expulsion from the company. The captain shall appoint the necessary
number of duty sergeants, one of whom shall take charge of every guard, and who
shall hold their offices at the pleasure of the captain.
Rule it. There shall be an orderly sergeant elected by the company, whose
duty it shall be to keep a regular roll, arranged in alphabetical order, of every
person subject to guard duty in the company ; and shall make out his guard de-
tails by commencing at the top of the roll and proceeding to the bottom, thus
giving every man an equal tour of guard duty. He shall also give the member of
every guard notice when he is detailed for duty. He shall also parade every
guard, call the roll, and inspect the same at the time of mounting. He shall also
visit the guard at least once every night, and see that the guard are doing strict
military duty, and may at any time give them the necessary instructions respect-
ing their duty, and shall regularly make report to the captain every morning, and
be considered second in command.
Rule 5. The captain, orderly sergeant, and members of the council shall hold
their offices at the pleasure of the company, and it shall be the duty of the council,
upon the application of one third or more of the company, to order a new election
for either captain, orderly sergeant, or new member or members of the council, or
for all or any of them, as the case may be.
Rule 6. The election of officers shall not take place until the company meet
at Kansas River.
Rule 7. No family shall be allowed to take more than three loose cattle to
every male member of the family of the age of sixteen and upward.
I propose to give you a very concise description of the route, some
of the most prominent objects we saw upon the way, and a statement
of the distances from point to point. I will here remark, once for all,
that the distances were estimated by me every evening when we en-
camped ; and that I put them down in my journal fully as great as I
think they ought to be. They are not ascertained by admeasurement,
408 DOCUMENTS.
but are merely guessed at. I will now give you a table of the distances,
etc., at this point, that you may the better understand what I shall
afterwards relate : ,
Miles.
From Independence to Rendezvous 20
Rendezvous to Elm Grove 15
Elm Grove to Walkalusia 22
Same to Kansas River 31
Kansas River to Big Sandy 31
Sandj7 to Hurricane Branch 12
Hurricane Branch to East Fork of Blue River 20
East Fork to West Fork of Blue River 15
West Fork to where we came in sight of the Republican Fork of
Blue River 41
Up Republican Fork of Blue to where we left it to cross over to Big
Platte 66
Blue to Big Platte . 25
Up Platte to where we saw first herd of buffalo 56
Up same to crossing on South Fork ,. 117
Crossing to North Fork of Platte 31
Up North Fork to Cedar Grove 18
Up North Fork to Solitary Tower 18
Up North Fork to Chimney 18
Up North Fork to Scott's Bluffs 20
Up same to Fort Larimer 38
Fort Larimer [Laramie?] to Big Spring, at foot ofBlack Hills 8
To Keryan on North Fork 30
To crossing on North Fork 84
To Sweetwater 55
Up Sweetwater to where we first saw the eternal snows of the Rocky
Mountains 60
To main dividing ridge of the Rocky Mountains 40
To first water that runs into the Pacific 2
To Little Sandy 14
To Big Sandy 14
To Green River 25
Down same 12
To Black's Fork of Green River 22
To Fort Bridger ^ 30
To Big Muddy 20
To Bear River 37
Down Bear River to range of hills which run up to the river 57
Down Bear River to Great Saduspring [Soda Spring?] 38
To Partnith [Portneuf ?], first water of the Columbia 25
To Fort Hall on Snake River 58
To Partnith [Portneuf?] again 11
To Rock Creek 87
To Salmon Falls on Snake River . 42
To crossing on Snake River 27
To Boiling Spring 19
To Boise River (pronounced Boa-sie) 48
Down same to Fort Bois6 on Snake River 40
To Bunt River _. 41
Up same 1 25
Cross to Powder River at "Lane Pens" 18
To Grande Ronde 15
To Utilla [Umatilla ?] River over Blue Mountains 43
To Doctor Whitman's 29
To Walla Walla 25
Making in all about one thousand seven hundred and twenty-six miles
from Independence to Port Walla Walla on the Columbia River. From
Walla Walla to the Methodist Mission, at The Dalles, is about one
hundred and twenty miles, and from The Dalles to Vancouver it is
called one hundred miles, making the distance from Independence to
Vancouver, by route we traveled, one thousand nine hundred and forty-
six miles. I am well satisfied that the distance does not exceed two
thousand miles, for the reason that ox teams could not have traveled
further than we did, traveling in the manner we did.
Your friend, P. H. B.
LETTERS OP PETER H. BURNETT. 409
[From New York Herald, January 6, 1845.]
LINNTON, Oregon Territory, 1844.
James G. Bennett, Esq. —
DEAR SIR : In my former communication I gave you some account
of our trip as far as Elm Grove, fifteen miles from the rendezvous. On
the twenty-fourth of May we crossed the Walkalusia, a tributary of
the Kansas, about twenty yards wide, clear running water, over a
pebbly bed. We let our wagons down the bank (which was very steep)
with ropes. There was, however, a very practicable ford, unknown to
us, about one hundred yards above. We here saw three Potawotomie
Indians, who rode fine horses, with martingales, bridles, and saddles.
We found very few fish in this stream. On the twenty-sixth of May
we reached Kanzas River, which was too high to ford ; and we pre-
pared a platform, by uniting two large canoes together — and com-
menced crossing on the 29th. On the 27th we held a meeting, and
appointed a committee of three to make arrangements for crossing
the river. The committee attempted to hire Pappa's platform (a
Frenchman who lived at the crossing, ) but no reasonable arrangement
could be made with him. Before we had finished our platform, some
of the company made a private arrangement with Pappa for them-
selves, and commenced crossing. This produced great dissatisfaction
in camp. On the 28th Pappa's platform sank, and several men, women,
and children came near being drowned, but all escaped with the loss
of some property. As yet no organization, and no guard out. Wagons
still coming in rapidly. On the thirtieth of May two Catholic mission-
aries to the Flathead Indians arrived and crossed the river. The
Kansas is here a wide stream, with sandy banks and bottom. I suppose
it to be about a quarter mile wide at this point. The water was muddy,
like that of the Missouri River. We finished crossing on the thirty-
first of May. Our encampment was on Black Warrior Creek ; very
uncomfortable, as our stock were constantly sticking fast in the mud
upon its banks. On the first of June we organized the company, by
electing Peter H. Burnett commander in chief and Mr. Nesmith or-
derly sergeant. On the 4th we crossed Big Sandy, a large creek with
high banks. Last night we had a hard rain. Last evening we saw
several of the Kanzas chiefs, who visited our encampment. Our usual
mode of encampment was to form a hollow square with the wagons.
When we organized we had about one hundred and ten wagons and
two hundred and sixty- three men, all able to bear arms. On the 5th
we crossed the East Fork of Blue, a large creek, and a tributary of
the Kanzas, and on the 6th, in the evening, we crossed the West Fork
of Blue, a small river, about fifty yards wide. Contrary to our expec-
tations, we found it fordable, by propping up our wagon beds with large
blocks of wood. We encamped for the night on a level prairie, dry
and beautiful. In the night we had an immense thunderstorm, and
410 DOCUMENTS.
torrents of rain. Half the tents blew down, and nearly the whole
encampment was .flooded with water eight inches deep. We were in
a most uncomfortable predicament next morning, and nearly all wet.
We this day met a war party of Osages and Kanzas Indians, consisting
of about ninety warriors. They all rode ponies, were painted, and
their heads shaven, and had one Pawnee scalp, with the ears still to
it, and full of wampum. This scalp had tolerably long hair upon it,
and they had divided it into some five or six different pieces, some with
an ear to them, and some with part of the cheek. The Kanzas and
Osages are the most miserable, cowardly, and dirty Indians we saw
east of the Rocky Mountains. They annoyed us greatly by their con-
tinual begging. We gave this war party bread and meat, and a calf ;
they said they had eaten nothing for three days. Two of this party
were wounded severely, one in the shoulder and the other in another
part. They had killed but one Pawnee, who had wounded these two
before he fell. The Kanzas Indians, however, did not steal from us,
except perhaps a horse or two which were missing, but which might
have escaped back to the Kanzas River. On the 7th we removed our
encampment one half mile to a place we supposed to be dry ; but in
the night another severe storm of rain succeeded, and again flooded
half the encampment. On the 8th we traveled five miles to a grove of
green elm trees, and it again rained in torrents, but our encampment
was upon high ground this time. P. H. Burnett this day resigned the
command of the company in consequence of ill health. On the 9th the
clouds dispersed, and we traveled five miles to find wood, where we
dried our clothes. The company now separated into two parties, one
under the command of Capt. Jesse Applegate, and the other reorganized
by electing William Martin commander. Martin's company had about
seventy-two wagons and one hundred and seventy-five men. On the
10th we met a company of four wagons from Fort Larimer [Laramiej,
with furs and peltries, going to Independence. They had with them
several buffalo calves. As yet we saw no game of any kind, except a
few straggling deer. This day Mr. Casan and others saw the corpse
of an Indian in the prairie : his head had been cut off and was badly
scalped, and left to be eaten up by the buzzards. This, no doubt, was
the same Indian killed and scalped by the war party of the Osages and
Kanzas. On the llth we had a fall of rain in the evening, before dark,
but none in the night. On the 12th the whole company were thrown
into a state of great excitement by the news, which reached us, that
Captain Gant and some others had killed a large buffalo. He was a
venerable old bull, by himself, and was discovered by the hunters at
about one mile distant ; they run upon him with their horses and shot
him with their large horse-pistols ; seven balls were fired into him
before he fell. The animal was not very fat, and was tough eating.
He had, no doubt, been left here in the spring by other buffaloes. These
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 411
animals frequently come down upon the waters of Blue River to spend
the winter among the rushes, which are abundant in the bottoms near
the stream ; but they return in the spring. On the fourteenth of June
we passed over a level plain of rich prairie land, equal to any in the
world for farming purposes; but it was wild, solitary prairie.
On the 15th one of the company killed an antelope — an animal not
very plenty in this region, but seen occasionally for the last three or
four days. June 16th, one deer and one antelope were killed, and we
had a most beautiful race between an antelope and some fleet dogs.
The animal ran down the line of wagons for about two miles, in full
view, about two hundred yards from us ; and as fast as he would leave
one dog behind, another would come in from the wagons. Why the
animal did not change his course, I can not tell, unless perhaps he was
too much confused. Perhaps no animal in the world is so fleet as this
beautiful creature. He will weigh about as much as a deer, has hair
of much the same length and color, is formed a little like the goat, but
is much more slender and neat in his form. The bucks have horns,
with several prongs to them, not so long as the horns of a deer, and of
a black color. The bucks have black stripes, about an inch wide, run-
ning down from under each ear, and continuing under each eye toward
the nose. These stripes, and thin black hairs, give the animal quite a
fanciful appearance. Nothing is more beautiful and graceful than
the movements of this active animal. He runs very smoothly ; not
in irregular bounds, like the deer. Mr. Lindsay Applegate, who
had two very fleet greyhounds with him, stated to me that he one
day witnessed a race between his best greyhound and an antelope.
He said the antelope and dog were running at right angles towards
each other, and the antelope did not discover the dog until the dog
was within twenty feet of him. The struggle then commenced, and
they ran about a quarter of a mile, each doing his utmost; but the
antelope outran the dog so far, that the dog stopped still, and looked
after the antelope in utter astonishment. The dog had often run upon
deer and wolves with ease. The antelope is a very wary animal,
and difficult of approach. His curiosity is, however, very great ; and
the hunter, adapting himself to the habits of the animal, conceals
himself behind a hillock of sand, or other object, and putting his hat,
cap, or handkerchief upon the end of his gunstick, he raises it about
two feet, gently waiving it backward and forward. As soon as the ante-
lope sees it, he approaches gradually nearer and nearer, making a sort
of snorting noise, and alternately approaching and retreating, until he
comes within reach of the hunter's trusty rifle. He is not very tena-
cious of life, and a small wound will disable him, so that he surren-
ders. The antelope, though exceedingly fleet, can be run down on horse-
back, when very fat, by continuing the chase about twenty miles. Mr.
7
412 DOCUMENTS.
Nolan, who had been in the region of the Rocky Mountains several
years, so informed me ; and he also stated that the wolves very fre-
quently run them down, and that he had often fell in with the wolves
and the antelope when the latter was much jaded with the race, and
had then caught the antelope himself. June 17th we encamped for the
last time on Blue River. Our course since the 13th has been up the
Republican Fork of Blue. Here we saw a hunting party of Pawnees,
who were returning from a buffalo hunt south. They had not their
heads shaved like the Kanzas Indians : but their hair was cut like
white men, and they were fine looking fellows. They had many packs
of buffalo meat, which they cure by cutting it into very thin, long, and
wide slices, with the grain of the meat, and then drying it in the sun.
After it is dried they have a mode of pressing it between two pieces
of timber, which gives it a very smooth and regular appearance. Of
this meat they gave us very liberally. They amused themselves very
much, by imitating our driving of cattle and teams. We informed
them of the war party of Kanzas and Osages that we had seen, and
they were much excited, and vowed to take vengeance upon their
enemies. They did not interrupt us, or our stock, but were very kind
and friendly. The road from independence to this point is generally
through prairie and a most excellent road, except the fords upon the
streams, which are miry, and difficult to cross. The Kanzas country
as it may be called, is nineteen-twentieths prairie, generally fertile,
but destitute of timber, except upon the streams. This timber is elm,
low burr oak, and small swamp ash, along the margin of the streams.
I saw only a very few places where good farms could be made, for
want of timber. This whole country has very little game of any kind,
except a very few wild deer and antelope. We saw no squirrels on
Blue, and very few birds, except a small species of snipe. I remem-
ber a wild-cat, killed by some of the company, that was a mere skeleton,
from starvation, no doubt ; but few fish were found in the stream.
Your friend,
P. H. B.
[From New York Weekly Herald, January 18, 1845.]
LINNTON, Oregon Territory, 1844.
James G. Bennett, Esq.-
DEAR SIR : In my letter of the 26th instant, I continued my ac-
count of our trip to our last encampment on the waters of the Blue.
On the eighteenth day of June we crossed the main dividing ridge be-
tween the waters of Kanzas and the Great Platte. We traveled twenty-
five miles over the finest road imaginable, and our eyes first beheld
the wide and beautiful valley of the Great Platte just as the sun was
going down behind the bleak sand hills. We encamped in the bottom,
about two miles from the river, without fuel. Next morning we
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 413
started, without any breakfast, and traveled a few miles, where we
found willows for fuel, and where we took a hearty meal. We struck
the river near the head of Grand Island, which is seventy-five miles
long1, covered with timber, and several miles wide, varying greatly, in
places, as to width ; but what was strange, there was not a solitary
tree on the south side of the river where we were. The river above the
island, as far as the Forks, is generally about two miles wide. Perhaps
this is one of the most remarkable rivers in the world. Like the Nile,
it runs hundreds of miles through a sandy desert. The valley of this
stream is from fifteen to twenty miles wide, a smooth <level plain, and the
river generally runs in the middle of it, from west to east. The course
of this stream is more uniform than any I have ever seen. It scarcely
ever makes a bend. The Platte River was very high until after we
had passed Fort Larimer [Laramie?]. This river has low, sandy banks,
with sandy bottom, and the water muddy, like that of the Missouri.
The current is rapid, and the river being very wide, is very shallow,
and easily forded, except in high water. It is full of most beautiful
islands of all sizes, covered with beautiful trees, contrasting finely with
the wild prairie plains and bold sand hills on each side of the river.
The plain on each side of the river extends out to the sand hills,
which are about three miles through them, when you ascend up to a
wide prairie plain of almost interminable extent. Upon this plain, and
sometimes in the sand hills, we found the buffalo, and numbers of white
wolves. In the plains, near the river, we generally found the antelope.
When the season is wet, as was the case this season, the buffalo resort
to the plain beyond the sand hills, where they find water in the ponds,
As the summer advances, and the ponds dry up, they approach the
river, and are found in the plain near it. You have, perhaps, often
heard of buffalo paths. As you go from the river out to the wide plain,
beyond the sand hills, through which you must pass, you will find val-
leys among those hills leading out toward this plain. These valleys
are covered with grass, and the buffalo have made numerous paths,
not only in these valleys, but over all the hills, where they could pass
at all (and they can pass almost any where), leading from this wide plain
to the river, where they resort for water, in the dry season. These paths
are very narrow, and are sunk in the ground six or eight inches deep.
In traveling up the Platte, almost every thirty yards we had to cross
a path, which was about all the obstruction we met while traveling up
this gently inclined plain. While hunting, there is no danger of be-
ing lost, for you can find a buffalo path anywhere, and they always lead
the nearest route to the river. All the plains are covered with grass ;
but the plain upon the river has not only the greatest variety, but the
most rich and luxuriant grass. The greatest general scarcity of wood
we found upon the Platte, before we reached Fort Larimer [Laramie?].
We sometimes found bunches of dry willows, often Indian wigwams
414 DOCUMENTS.
made of willows, but the way in which we generally procured our fuel,
was to pick up the pieces of driftwood during- the day, and at night we
would have plenty. It requires very little fuel. It is necessary to
dig a narrow ditch, about eight inches wide, one foot deep, and two or
three feet long. This confines the heat, and prevents the wind from
scattering the fire.
On the twenty-second day of June, we saw the first band of buffa-
loes, which contained about fifty, of all ages and sizes. Out of this
band two were killed. They were found in the plain close to the river,
and were pursued on horseback. Perhaps no sport in the world is so
exciting as a buffalo hunt. The fox chase sinks into insignificance
when compared to it. The mode of hunting this noble animal is very
simple. They are generally found upon the wide plain beyond the
sand hills, as I before stated, and you will almost always find them
grazing near the head of some hollow leading up near them. When
you approach him you must get the wind to blow from him to you ;
because if you scent him, you will hardly run off, but if he scents you,
he is certain, to scamper. The sight of the buffalo is very dull, but
their sense of smell is very acute. I one day saw a band of about one
hundred buffaloes on the opposite side of the river from us, and about
two miles off, running parallel with the line of wagons, up the river.
When they came directly opposite us, so as to strike the stream of
wind, which blew from us directly across the river, they turned sud-
denly off at right angles, and increased their speed greatly. They had
evidently scented us. If you have the wind of them you can approach
within a very short distance, near enough to kill them readily with the
rifle. When you fire, if you remain still, and do not show yourself, the
buffalo will perhaps bring a bound, and then stop, and remain until
you have fired several times. If he is wounded he will lie down. If
several guns are fired in quick succession it alarms the band, and they
all move off in a brisk trot ; but if you load and fire slowly you may
often kill several before the balance leave. I have seen three or four
lying within ten yards of each other. When you have fired as often
as you can, and the buffalo have retired beyond the reach of the balls,
you return down the hollow to your horses, and having mounted, you
approach as near as possible before you show yourself to the animal ;
and when he sees you, your horse ought to be at the very top of his
speed, so as to get near him before he gets under full speed. You may
dash at a band of buffaloes not more than one hundred yards off, and
they will stand and gaze at you before they start ; but when one puts
himself in motion, all the rest move instantly, and those lying down
will not be far very behind the others, as they rise running. Although
they seem to run awkwardly, yet they step away rapidly, and if you
lose much time you will have a hard run to overtake them. The better
plan is to put your horse at the top of his speed at once. This enables you
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 415
to press upon the buffalo at the first of the race, and when you approach
within fifty or sixty yards of them, you will find that they can let out
a few more links; but if a bull is wounded, even very slightly, the
moment you press hard upon him he will turn short around, curl his
tail over his back, bow his neck, and face you for a fight. At this time
you had as well keep at a convenient distance. If you keep off about
fifty yards he will stand, and you may load and fire several times ; but
you had better not fire at his head, for you will not hurt him much if
you hit him, for the ball will never penetrate through the skull bone.
Whenever you bring one to bay, if the country is not too broken, and
your horse is good, there is no danger of his escape, as you may shoot
as often as you please ; and whenever you give the animal a deadly
shot he will kick as if kicking at some object that attacks him. The
buffalo, when excited, is very hard to kill, and you may put several
balls through his heart, and he will then live, sometimes for hours.
The best place to shoot him is behind the shoulder, at the bulge of the
ribs, and just below the backbone, so as to pass through the thick part
of the lungs. This is the most deadly of all shots ; and when you see
the animal .cough up blood it is unnecessary to shoot him any more.
When you shoot them through the lungs the blood smothers them im-
mediately. The lungs of the buffalo are very large and easily hit by
any sort of a marksman. If you pursue a buffalo, not wounded, you
may run up by his side, and shoot off your horse. The animal becomes
tired after running at the top of his speed for two or three miles, and
will then run at a slow gallop. The buffalo is a most noble animal-
very formidable in appearance— and in the summer has a very short
soft coat of fine wool over his body, from behind his shoulders to his
tail. His neck and head a*re covered with a thick mass of long black
wool, almost concealing his short thick horns (the points of which just
peep out), and his small eye. This animal has a great deal of bold
daring, and it is difficult to turn him from his course.
On the twenty-seventh of June we had stopped our wagons, about
one half mile from the river, to spend the noon, and rest our teams.
While there, we discovered seven large buffalo bulls slowly moving
up the river on the opposite side ; and when they were about opposite
to us, they plunged into the river, and swam toward us, in the face of
wagons, teams, cattle, horses, men and all. Every man shouldered his
gun, and some went up, and some down the river, so as to form a com-
plete semicircle. We were all certain that the buffalo would turn
back, and recross the river ; but on they came, merely turning their
course a little around the wagons. You never heard such a bombard-
ment in all your life. Not a buffalo escaped unhurt ; and three or four
were killed within a very short distance. The buffalo, being a very
large object, can be seen at a very great distance. Perhaps the flesh
of no animal is more delicious than that of a young buffalo cow, in
416- DOCUMENTS.
good order. You may eat as much as you please, and it will not
oppress you. The flesh of the antelope is fine eating-, equal to good
venison, but more juicy. I remember while we were on Sweetwater,
that we remained at one place a day or two ; and that one evening1 I
came in from hunting, very hungry. Captain Gant had killed a very
fat buffalo cow, and had made me a present of some choice pieces. It
was after dinner, and Mrs. B. had six large slices of this meat cooked
for me. I supposed I could eat three of them, as I thought they would
be sufficient for any one ; but when I had eaten them, I felt a strong
inclination to eat the fourth, and so I eat them all. About two hours
afterward, supper came on, and we had more of this fine meat.
Doctor Long took supper with me, and something was said about Ore-
gon. The Doctor remarked, that he feared Oregon was like the buffalo
meat, overrated. Said I, "Doctor, I have always thought as you do in
regard to buffalo meat until this day, and now I think it has always been
underrated." I continued eating until I was ashamed, and left supper
hungry. I then went to Captain Gant's tent ; and there he had some
buffalo tongue cooked nicely, and insisted I should eat a piece. I sat
down and eat of the buffalo tongue until I was ashamed, and then
went to bed hungry. Prom this you may infer that I was a gormand-
izer ; but if I can judge impartially, in my own case, I assure you, I
was not more so than most persons on the road.
Your friend,
P. H. B.
[January 6, 1845.]
LlNNTON, 1844.
James G. Bennett, Esq.-
DEAR SIR : The proper outfit for emigrants is a matter of very great
importance, as upon it depends the ease of the journey. As little as
we knew about the matter, we were well enough prepared to get here,
all safe, and without much suffering on the road. I would even be
most willing to travel the same road twice over again, had I the means
to purchase cattle in the States; and Mrs. B. (who performed as much
labor on the road as any other woman) would most gladly undertake
the trip again. There is a good deal of labor to perform on the road,
but the weather is so dry and the air so pure and pleasant, and your
appetite so good, that the labor becomes easy. I had more pleasure in
eating on this trip than I ever did in the same time before, which
would have been greater had it not been for the eternal apprehension
of difficulties ahead. Whether we were to leave our wagons, or
whether we were to be out of provisions, was all uncertain, and kept
us in a state of painful suspense. This state of uncertainty can not exist
again, as the way is broken and conclusively shown to be practicable.
The sedge, which was a great impediment to us, we broke down com-
pletely, and left behind us a good wagon road, smooth and easy. Those
LETTERS OF PETER H. BCRNETT. 417
who come after us will be better prepared, and they will have no ap-
prehension about a scarcity of provisions. There is not the slightest
danger of starvation, and not the least danger of suffering, if even or-
dinary care is taken. Emigrants may now come, knowing that the
property they start with they can bring clear through ; and when they
reach here it will be worth about twice, and some of it (all their cattle)
four times as much as it was when they left the States. There is no
danger of suffering for water, as you will find it every evening, and
always good, except perhaps at one or two places— not more ; and by
filling a four-gallon keg every morning, you have it convenient all day.
Fuel on the way is scarce at some points, but we never suffered for
want of fuel. You travel up or down streams nearly all the way, upon
which you will find dry willows, which make an, excellent fire, and
where you find no willows, the sedge answers all purposes. Nothing
burns more brilliantly than the sedge ; even the green seems to burn
almost as readily as the dry, and it catches as quick as dry shavings,
but it does not make as good coals to cook with as the willows. The
wagons for this trip should be two-horse wagons, plain yankee beds,
the running gear made of good materials, and fine workmanship, with
falling tongues ; and all in a state of good repair. A few extra iron
bolts, linchpins, skeins, paint bands for the axle, one cold chisel, a few
pounds of wrought nails, assorted, several papers of cut tacks, and
some hoop iron, and a punch for making holes in the hoop iron, a few
chisels, handsaw, drawing-knife, axes, and tools generally ; it would
be well to bring, especially, augers, as they may be needed on the way
for repairing. All light tools that a man has, that do not weigh too
much, he ought to bring. Palling tongues are greatly superior to
others, though both will do. You frequently pass across hollows that
have very steep, but short banks, where falling tongues are preferable,
and there are no trees on the way to break them. The wagon sheets
should be double and not painted, as that makes them break. The
wagon bows should be well made and strong, and it is best to have
sideboards, and have the upper edge of the wagon body beveled out-
ward, so that the water running down the wagon sheet, when it strikes
the body, may run down on the outside ; and it is well to have the bottom
of the bed beveled in the same way, that the water may not run inside
the wagon. Having your wagons well prepared, they are as secure,
almost, as a house. Tents and wagon sheets are best made of heavy
brown cotton drilling, and will last well all the way. They should be
well fastened down. When you reach the mountains, if your wagons
are not well made of seasoned timber, the tires become loose. This is
very easily repaired by taking the hoop iron, taking the nails out of
the tire, and driving the hoop iron under the tire and between it and
the felloes ; the tire you punch, and make holes through the hoop iron
and drive in your nails, and all will be tight. Another mode of tight-
418 DOCUMENTS.
erring the tire, which answers very well, is to drive pine wedges cross-
wise under it, which holds it tight. If your wagons are even ordinarily
good, the tire will never become loose, and you will not perhaps have
to repair any on the whole trip. Any wagon that will perform a jour-
ney from Kentucky to Missouri, will stand the trip well. There are
many wagons in Oregon, brought through last year, that are both old
and very ordinary. It is much easier to repair a wagon on the way
than you would suppose. Beware of heavy wagons, as they break down
your teams for no purpose, and you will not need them. Light wagons
will carry all you want, as there is nothing to break them down, no
logs, no stumps, no rock, until you get more than half way, when your
load is so much reduced, that there is then no danger. You see no
stumps on the road until you get to Burnt River, and very few there,
and no rock until you get into the Black Hills, and only there for a
short distance, and not bad, and then you will see none until you reach
the Great Soda Spring, on Bear River — at least none of any conse-
quence. If an individual should have several wagons, some good and
some ordinary, he might start with all of them ; and his ordinary
wagons will go to the mountains, where his load will be so reduced
that his other wagons will do. It is not necessary to bring along an
extra axletree, as you will rarely break one. A few pieces of well
seasoned hickory, for the wedges and the like, you ought to bring.
TEAMS. — The best teams for this trip are ox teams. Let the oxen
be from three to five years old, well set, and compactly built ; just such
oxen as are best for use at home. They should not be too heavy, as
their feet will not bear the trip so well ; but oxen six, seven, and eight
years old, some of them very large, stood the trip last year very well,
but not so well in general as the younger and lighter ones. Young
cows make just as good a team as any. It is the travel and not the
pulling that tires your team, until after you reach Port Hall. If you
have cows for a team it requires more of them in bad roads, but they
stand the trip equally well, if not better, than oxen. We fully tested
the ox and mule teams, and we found the ox teams greatly superior.
One ox will pull as much as two mules, and, in mud, as much as four.
They are more easily managed, are not so subject to be lost or broken
down on the way, cost less at the start, and are worth about four times
as much here. The ox is a most noble animal, patient, thrifty, durable,
gentle, and easily driven, and does not run off. Those who come to
this country will be in love with their oxen by the time they reach
here. The ox will plunge through mud, swim over streams, dive into
thickets, and climb mountains to get at the grass, and he will eat
almost anything. Willows they eat with great greediness on the way ;
and it is next to impossible to drown an ox. I would advise all emi-
grants to bring all the cattle they can procure to this country, and all
their horses, as they will, with proper care, stand the trip well. We
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 419
found a good horse to stand the trip as well as a mule. Horses need
shoeing1, but oxen do not. I had oxshoes made, and so did many others,
but it was money thrown away. If a man had $500, and would invest
it in young heifers in the States and drive them here, they would here
be worth at least $5,000 ; and by engaging in stock raising, he could
make an independent fortune. Milch cows on the road are exceed-
ingly useful, as they give an abundance of milk all the way, though
less toward the close of it. By making what is called thickened milk
on the way, a great saving of flour is effected, and it is a most rich and
delicious food, especially for children. We found that yearling calves,
and even sucking calves, stood the trip very well ; but the sucking
calves had all the milk.
PROVISIONS. — One hundred and fifty pounds of flour and forty
pounds of bacon to each person. Besides this, as much dried fruit,
rice, corn meal, parched corn meal, and raw corn, pease, sugar, tea,
coffee, and such like articles as you can well bring. Flour will keep sweet
the whole trip, corn meal to the mountains, and parched corn meal all
the way. The flour and meal ought to be put in sacks or light barrels ;
and what they call shorts are just as good as the finest flour, and will
perhaps keep better; but I do not remember of any flour being spoiled
on the way. The parched corn meal is most excellent to make soup.
Dried fruit is most excellent. A few beef cattle to kill on the way, or
fat calves, are very useful, as you need fresh meat. Pease are most
excellent.
The loading should consist mostly of provisions. Emigrants should
not burthen themselves with furniture, or many beds ; and a few light
trunks, or very light boxes, might be brought to pack clothes in.
Trunks are best, but they should be light. All heavy articles should
be left, except a few cooking vessels, one shovel, and a pair of pot
hooks. Clothes enough to last a year, and several pair of strong, heavy
shoes to each person, it will be well to bring. If you are heavily loaded
let the quantity of sugar and coffee be small, as milk is preferable and
does not have to be hauled. You should have a water keg, and a tin
canister made like a powder canister to hold your milk in ; a few tin
cups, tin plates, tin saucers, and butcher knives ; and there should be
a small grindstone in company, as the tools become dull on the way.
Many other articles may be useful. Rifles and shotguns^ pistols, powder,
lead, and shot, I need hardly say are useful, and some of them neces-
sary on the road, and sell well here. A rifle that would cost $20 in the
States is worth $50 here, and shotguns in proportion. The road will
be found, upon the whole, the best road in the world, considering its
length. On the Platte, the only inconvenience arising from the road
is the propensity to sleep in the daytime. The air is so pleasant and
the road so smooth that I have known many a teamster to go fast
asleep in his wagon, and his team stop still in the road. The usual
420 DOCUMENTS.
plan was for the wagons behind to drive around him, and leave him
until he waked up, when he would come driving up, looking- rather
sheepish. Emigrants should start as early as possible in ordinary sea-
sons ; by first of May at furthest : even as early as first of April would
do. For those emigrants coming from the Platte country, it is thought
that they had better cross the Missouri River at McPherson's Ferry,
in Hatt County, and take up the ridge between Platte and Kanzas
rivers ; but I can not determine that question. Companies of from
forty to fifty wagons are large enough. Americans are prone to differ
in opinion, and large companies become unwieldy, and the stock be-
come more troublesome. In driving stock to this country about one
in ten is lost ; not more. Having started, the best way to save the
teams is to drive a reasonable distance every day, and stop about an
hour before sundown. This gives time for arranging the camp, and
for the teams to rest and eat before it is dark. About eight hours'
drive in long days— resting one hour at noon — I think is enough. Never
drive irregularly, if you can avoid it. On Platte River, Bear River,
and Boise" River, and in many other places, you can camp at any point
you please ; but at other places on the way you will be compelled to
drive hard some days to get water and range. When you reach the
country of buffalo, never stop your wagons to hunt, as you will eat up
more provisions than you will save. It is true you can kill buffalo,
but they are always far from camp, and the weather is too warm to
save much of it. When you reach the country of game, those who
have good horses can keep the company in fresh meat. If an individual
wishes to have great amusement hunting the buffalo, he had better
have an extra horse, and not use him until he reaches the buffalo re-
gion. Buffalo hunting is very hard upon horses, and emigrants had
better be cautious how they unnecessarily break down their horses.
A prudent care should be taken of horses, teams, and provisions, from
the start. Nothing should be wasted or thrown away that can be
eaten. If a prudent course is taken, the trip can be made, in ordinary
seasons, in four months. It took us longer ; but we lost a great deal
of time on the road, and had the way to break. Other routes than the
one traveled by us, and better routes, may be found. Captain Gant,
our pilot, was decidedly of the opinion that to keep up the South Fork
of the Platte, and cross it just above a stream running into it, called
the Kashlapood, and thence up the latter stream, passing between the
Black Hills on your right and peaks of the Rocky Mountains on your
left, and striking our route at Green River, would be a better and
nearer route — more plentifully supplied with game than the one we
came. He had traveled both routes, and brought us the route he did
because he had been informed that large bands of the Sioux Indians
were hunting upon the southern route.
The trip to Oregon is not a costly or expensive one. An individual
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 421
can move here as cheap, if not cheaper, than he can from Tennessee
or Kentucky to Missouri. All the property you start with you can
bring1 through, and it is worth thribble as much as when you started.
There is no country in the world where the wants of man can be so
easily supplied, upon such easy terms as this; and none where the
beauties of nature are displayed upon a grander scale.
[December 28, 1844.]
LINNTON, Oregon Territory, 1844.
The fisheries of this country are immense. Foremost of all the fish
of this, or any other country, is the salmon. Of the numbers of this
fish taken annually in the Columbia River, and its tributaries, it would
be impossible to state. They have been estimated at ten thousand
barrels annually, which I think is not too large. The salmon is a
beautiful fish, long, round, and plump, weighing generally about
twenty pounds, very fat, and yet no food of any kind is ever found in
the stomach. What they eat no one can tell. Sir Humphrey Davy
supposed that the gastric juice of the salmon was so powerful as in-
stantly to dissolve all substances entering the stomach. The salmon
in this country is never caught with a hook ; but they are sometimes
taken by the Indians with small scoop nets, and generally with a sort
of spear, of very peculiar construction, and which I will describe.
They take a pole, made of some hard wood, say ten feet long and one
inch in diameter, gradually sharpened to a point at one end. They
then cut off a piece from the sharp prong of a buckhorn, about four
inches long, and hollow out the large end of this piece so that it fits on
the end of the pole. About the middle of the buckhorn they make
a hole, through which they put a small cord or leather string, which
they fasten to the pole about two feet from the lower end. When they
spear a fish, the spear passes through the body, the buckhorn comes
off the pole, and the pole pulls out of the hole made by the spear, but
the buckhorn remains on the opposite side of the fish, and he is held
fast by the string, from which it is impossible to escape. All the
salmon caught here are taken by the Indians, and sold to the whites
at about ten cents each, and frequently for less. One Indian will take
about twenty per day upon an average. The salmon taken at differ-
ent points vary greatly in kind and quality, and it is only at particu-
lar places that they can be taken. The fattest and best salmon are
caught at the mouth of the Columbia ; the next best are those taken
in the Columbia, a few miles below Vancouver, at the cascades, and
at the dalles. Those taken at the Wallamette Falls are smaller and
inferior, and are said to be of a different kind. What is singular,
this fish can not be taken in any considerable numbers, with large seines.
This fish is too shy and too active to be thus taken. I believe no white
man has yet succeeded in taking them with the gig. The salmon
422 DOCUMENTS.
make their appearance >in 'the vicinity of Vancouver, first in the
Klackamus. The best salmon are taken in June. The sturgeon is a
very large fish, caught with a hook and line, and is good eating.
They are taken in the Wallamette, below the falls, and in the Columbia
at all points, and in the Snake River as high up as Fort Boise".
NAVIGATION. — As I have before stated, the navigation of the
Columbia is good to The Dalles, with the exception of the cascades.
The river near the ocean is very wide, forming bays, and is>subject to
high winds, which render the navigation unsafe for small craft. The
difficulties at the mouth of the river will rapidly diminish as the busi-
ness increases, and they have regular pilots and steam towboats.
Ships pass up the Wallamette some five miles above Linnton, where
there is a bar ; but small ships go up higher, and to within seven or
eight miles of the falls. Above the falls, the Wallamette is navi-
• gable for steamboats about fifty miles. Tom Hill River is navigable
for canoes and keelboats up to the forks, the distance I can not say.
The navigation of this, the first section, is much better than that of
the second section.
WATER POWER. — The water power of this country is unequaled,
and is found distributed throughout this section. The water power at
the falls of the Wallamette can not be surpassed in the world. Any
q uantity of machinery can be put in motion ; but the good water power
is not confined to the Wallamette Falls. Everywhere on the Columbia
and Wallamette rivers there are mill sites as good, but not so large as
the falls. Most of the mill sites in this country are overshots; but we
have not only the finest water power, but we have the finest timber.
TIMBER. — The timber of this section of Oregon constitutes one main
source of its wealth. It is found in inexhaustible quantities on the Co-
lumbia and on the Wallamette, just where the water power is at hand
to cut it up, and where ships can take it on board. The principal
timber of this section is the fir, white cedar, white oak, and black ash.
There three kinds of fir, — the white, yellow, and red, all of them fine
timber for planks, shingles, boards, and rails. The white fir makes
the best shingles. The fir is a species of the pine, grows very tall and
straight, and stands very thick upon the ground. Thick as they stand
upon the ground, when you cut one it never lodges, for the reason this
timber never forks, and the limbs are too small to stop a falling tree.
You can find them in the vicitity of Linnton, from eight feet in diameter
to small saplings ; and the tallest of them will measure about two hun-
dred and twenty-five feet. In the Cascade Mountains, and near the
mouth of the Columbia River, they rise to the height of three hundred
feet. The fir splits exceedingly well, and makes the finest boards of any
timber I have ever seen. I cut one tree from which I sawed twenty-
four cuts of three-foot boards, and there are plenty of such trees all
LETTERS OF PETER H. BURNETT. 423
around me, yet untouched. The white cedar is a very fine timber,
nearly if not quite equal to the red cedar in the States.
The wild animals of this the first section of Oregon, are the black
bear, black-tailed deer, raccoon, panther, polecat, rabbit, wolf, beaver,
and a few others. Deer and wolves are plenty. We have no buffaloes,
antelopes, or prairie chickens here, but in the second section prairie
chickens are plenty. As for. birds, we have the bluejay, larger than
the jay of the States, and deep blue. We have also the nut-brown
wren, a most beautiful and gentle little bird, very little larger than
the hummingbird. Also, a species of bird which resembles the robin
in form, color, and size. Also, a bird that sings the livelong night, ;
but although I have heard them often, I have never seen one. The
bald eagle, so well described by Wilson, is here found all along the
rivers, but he was here to catch his own game, as there are no fish-
hawks to do it for him. The eagle here feeds principally upon the dead
salmon that float down the rivers, for you are aware, perhaps, that
out of the myriads of salmon that ascend the rivers of Oregon, not one
ever finds the way back to the ocean. They are never found swim-
ming down stream, but their last effort is to ascend. The eagle also
feeds upon wild ducks, which he catches as follows : He darts at the
duck while in the water, and the duck dives, but as soon as he rises to
the surface, the eagle, having turned himself, strikes at the duck again
and the duck again dives. This manoeuvre the eagle continues until
the duck becomes tired, when the eagle nabs him just as he rises to
the top of the water. The duck seems to be afraid to attempt escape
upon the wing. We have also pleasants very abundant, and they are
most excellent eating. Like old Ireland itself, there are no poisonous
reptiles or insects in this section of Oregon. The only snake is the
small harmless garter snake, and there are no flies to annoy the cattle.
MOUNTAINS. — We have the most beautiful scenery in North America
-the largest ocean, the purest and most beautiful streams, and loftiest
and most beautiful trees. The several peaks of the Cascade range
of mountains are grand and imposing objects. From Vancouver you
have a fair and full view of Mount Hood, perhaps the tallest peak of
the Cascades, and which rises nearly sixteen thousand feet above the
level of the Pacific, and ten thousand feet above the surrounding moun-
tains. This lofty pile rises up by itself, and is in form of a regular
cone, covered with perpetual snow. This is the only peak you can see
from Vancouver, as the view is obscured by the tall fir timber. At
the mouth of the Wallamette, as you enter the Columbia, you have a
view of both Mount Hood and Mount St. Helena. From Linnton you
have a very fair and full view of Mount St. Helena, about fifty miles
distant; but it looks as if it was within reach. This peak is very
smooth, and in the form of a regular cone, and nearly, if not quite, as
tall as Mount Hood, and also covered with perpetual snow. This moun-
424 DOCUMENTS.
tain is now a burning volcano. It commenced about a year since. The
crater is on the side of the mountain, about two thirds of the distance
from its base. This peak, like Mount Hood, stands far off and alone,
in its solitary grandeur, rising far, far above all surrounding objects.
On the sixteenth of February, 1844, being a beautiful and clear day,
the mountain burned most magnificently. The dense masses of smoke
rose up in one immense column, covering the whole crest of the moun-
tain in clouds. Like other volcanoes, it burns at intervals. This
mountain is second to but one volcanic mountain in the world, Cotopaxi,
in South America. On the side of the mountain, near its top, is a large
black object, amidst the pure white snow around it. This is supposed
to be the mouth of a large cavern. From Indian accounts this moun-
tain emitted a volume of burning lava about the time it first commenced
burning. An Indian came to Vancouver with his foot and leg badly
burnt, who stated that he was on the side of the mountain hunting deer,
and he came to a stream of something running down the mountain,
and when he attempted to jump across it, he fell with one foot into it ;
and that was the way in which he got his foot and leg burned. This
Indian came to the fort to get Doctor Barclay to administer some remedy
to cure his foot. From a point on the mountain immediately back of
Linnton you can see five peaks of the Cascade range. As we passed
from the Atila [Umatilla ?] to Doctor Whitmarsh's [Whitman's ?] we
could distinctly see Mount Hood, at the distance of about one hundred
and fifty miles.
CLIMATE. — The climate of this, the lower section of Oregon, is indeed
most mild. The winter may be said to commence in about the middle of
December, and end in February, about the 10th. I saw strawberries in
bloom about the first of December last in the Fallatry [Tualatin?] Plains,
and as early as the twentieth of February the flowers were blooming
on the hill sides. The grass has now been growing since about the
tenth of February, and towards the end of that month the trees were
budding, and the shrubbery in bloom. About the twenty-sixth of
November we had a spell of cold weather and a slight snow, which was
gone in a day or two. In the month of December we had a very little
snow, and it melted as it fell. In January we had a great deal of snow,
which all melted as it fell, except once, which melted in three days.
The ground has not been frozen more than one inch deep the whole
winter, and plowing has been done throughout the winter and fall.
The ink with which I now write has stood in a glass inkstand, on a
shelf, far from the fire, in a house with only boards nailed on the cracks,
during the whole month of January, and has not been frozen, as you
may see from its good color. As regards rains in the winter, I have
found them much less troublesome than I anticipated. I had supposed
that no work could be done here during the rainy season ; but a great
deal more outdoor work can be done in the winter season than in the
LETTERS 01? PETER H. BURNETT. 425
•
Western States. The rains fall in very gentle showers, and are gen-
erally what you term drizzling rains, so light that a man can work all
day without getting wet through a blanket coat. The rains are not
the cold, chilly rains that you have in the fall and spring seasons in
the East, but are warm as well as gentle. Since I have been here I.
have witnessed less wind than in any country I have ever been in : and
I have heard no thunder, and only seen one tree that had been struck
by lightning. If the tall timber we have here were in the States, it
would be riven and blown down, until there would not be many trees
left. The rains are never hard enough here to wash the roads or the
fields. You can find no gullies washed in the roads or fields in this
region.
COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES. — I consider the commercial advan-
tages of this country as very great. The trade with the Sandwich
Islands is daily increasing. We are here surrounded with a half civ-
ilized race of men, and our manufacturing power will afford us a means
of creating a home market besides. South America, the Sandwich
Islands, and California, must depend upon us for their lumber. Already
arge quantities of shingles and plank are sent to the Islands. We
shall always have a fine market for all our surplus ; but, until this
country is settled, we shall have a demand at home. Most of the
vessels visiting the Pacific touch at the Sandwich Islands, and they
will be glad to obtain fresh supplies of provisions there. The Russian
settlements must also obtain their supplies here. We have China
within our reach, and all the islands of the Pacific There can be no
competition with us in the way of provisions, as we have no neighbors
in that line. I consider Oregon as superior to California. The climate
of that country is too warm for men to have any commercial enter-
prise. Besides, in California, pork and beef can not be put up ; and
consequently, the grazer loses half his profits. For a commercial and
manufacturing people, the climate of Oregon is warm enough. We
can here preserve our pork and beef, and we have much finer timber
than they have in California, and better water power, and not the
drouths they have there. I do not wish a warmer climate than this.
A very warm climate enervates mankind too much.
TOWNS.— This is a new item in the geography of this country, and
one that I have never seen before ; but of late towns have become quite
common. As all the towns yet laid out in the country are upon the
water, I shall begin at the mouth of the Columbia, and come up wards.
First, there is old Astoria revived. Captain Applegate and others are
now laying off a town at old Astoria, to be called Astoria. They have
not yet sold any lots. Next is Linnton, laid off by Burnett and Mc-
Cown. This place is on the west bank of the Wallamette River, four
miles above its mouth, and is the nearest point on the river to the
Fallatry [Tualatin] Plains, and the nearest eligible point to the head of
426 DOCUMENTS.
ship navigation for large vessels on the Wallamette. Next in order is
Oregon City, laid out by Doctor McLoughlin, at the falls. At this
place there are four stores, two sawmills, one gristmil], and there will
soon be another built by the Doctor, to contain about three run of
stones. There is quite a village here. The last town I shall mention
is Champoe, on the Wallamette, at the head of navigation. I do not
know that any lots have as yet been sold at that place. Business of
all kinds done in the territory is very active, and times are flourish-
ing. Lazy men have become industrious, as there is no drinking or
gambling here among the whites ; and labor meets with such ready
employment and such ample reward, that men have more inducements
to labor here than elsewhere. This is, as yet, no country for lawyers,
and we have the most peaceable and quiet community in the world.
Mechanics find ready employment, as well as ordinary laboring hands.
Farming is considered the best business in this country. This may be
seen at once from the prices of produce, and its easy production. The
business of making and putting up butter, which is here never worth
less than twenty cents, is very profitable. Good fresh butter, I am
told, is never worth less than fifty cents, and often $1 per pound in the
Pacific Islands. There are now in operation, or will be this summer,
mills enough to supply the population with flour. There are several
mills, both saw and grist, in operation up the Wallamette, above the
falls. There is no scarcity of provisions at the prices I have stated ;
and I find that our emigrants who came out last year, live quite com-
fortably, and have certainly improved much in their appearance.
When an individual here has any idle time he can make shingles,
which are worth $4 for fir and $5 per thousand for cedar. Any quantity
of them can be sold at those rates. We have the finest spar timber,
perhaps, in the world, and vessels often take off a quantity of timber
for spars. The sawmills at Wallamette Falls cut large quantities of
plank, which they sell at $2 per hundred. Carpenters and other me-
chanics obtain $3 per day and found, and ordinary hands $1 per day
and found. The fir timber of this country makes excellent coal for
blacksmiths ; and what is singular, neither the fir nor cedar, when
burned, make any ashes. It has been supposed that the timbered land
of this country will be hard to clear up, but I have come to a very dif-
ferent conclusion, from the fact that the fir timber has very little top,
and is easily killed, and burns up readily. It also becomes seasoned
very soon. It is the opinion of good farmers that the timbered land
will be the best wheat land in this country.
P. H. B.
REVIEW.
THE TRUE STORY OF LEWIS AND CLARK.
This book is more comprehensive than its subtitle would
indicate. Part one gives the story of George Rogers
Clark and the American conquest of the Old Northwest ;
part two is an account of the Lewis and Clark expe-
dition ; part three unfolds the work of William Clark,
first as territorial governor of Missouri and then as
United States Indian agent, in leading the Indian tribes
westward before the advance of the white man.
The book gathers up, at different spots in Virginia,
threads of adventure, romance, and war of certain national
Ulyssean spirits, weaves them into our national history,
carries them across the continent to the mouth of the
Columbia, and bringing them back, with one main thread
left, the author works a rosette with Saint Louis as the
center. Or, to change the metaphor, she clears a high-
way from the Blue Ridge to the Mississippi and blazes a
trail to the Pacific. It is a stupendous task that she
essays, — the story of the pressing back of the red race by
the white, from the Alleghanies to beyond the Missouri,
and the penetration of the white race to the Pacific.
Her style is admirably adapted to carry out such a work,
but it is quite evident that a plan like that of Mrs. Dye's
in "The Conquest" no more lends itself to art than did
the lives of the successive generations of pioneers who
carried the frontier from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific.
Though the lone explorers and pathfinders led very plain
*The Conquest, by Eva Emery Dye, A. C. McClurg & Company, Chicago.
8
428 REVIEW.
lives, hardly conscious of the high purposes they were
fulfilling, their work, nevertheless, was exceedingly useful
as forerunners of civilization and heralds of national des-
tiny. So with Mrs. Dye's book. Her coign of vantage in
her home in the oldest American community on the Pacific
Coast for the perspective of our national history, her
spirit as an ardent hero-worshipper, her aptitude for bio-
graphical narrative, her keen zest for dramatic and historic
conjunctions of time or place, her strongly feminine point
of view so rarely applied to chapters of adventure, and
above all her intense enthusiasm which fuses remotely
related details into an integral whole — these make "The
Conquest " a book useful to the student of history. She
was indefatigable in her search for the material for her
book, and successful. Many a new clue promising infor-
mation about some one of the Lewis and Clark party did
she find and follow out. Her book represents a fine array
of historical material, and not a little of it is new.
She took a large field. Of necessity she could point
out only immediate relations of events. The deeper rela-
tions, the true proportions, could not be expected. It was
natural, too, that salient and relevant facts should be over-
looked. For all that the book is a genuine and an impor-
tant contribution to the literature of American history.
A WOMAN WHO LOVED OREGON.
By WILLIAM A. MORRIS, A.B.
( From Pamphlet "In Memoriam.")
Poems, 1851.
Florence Fane Sketches, 1863-65.
The River of the West, 1870.
All Over Oregon and Washington, 1872.
Woman's War Against Whisky, 1874.
The New Penelope, 1877.
Bancroft History of Oregon, 2 vols., 1886.
Bancroft History of Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Bancroft History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming.
Bancroft History of California, vols. 6 and 7.
History of Early Indian Wars in Oregon, 1893.
Atlantis Arisen.
Poems, 1900.
By the death, on November 14th, of Frances Fuller
Victor there was removed the most versatile figure in
Pacific Coast literature, a literary pioneer on the coast,
and a woman to whom Oregonians owe much. Frances
Fuller was born in the township of Rome, New York,
May 23, 1826, and had, therefore, reached the ripe age of
seventy-six years. She was a near relation of Judge
Ruben H. Walworth, Chancellor of the State of New
York. Through her ancestor, Lucy Walworth, wife of
Veach Williams, who lived at Lebanon, Connecticut, in
the early part of the eighteenth century, she could trace
her descent from Egbert, the first King of England,
while Veach Williams himself was descended from Robert
Williams, who came over from England in 1637 and set-
tled at Roxbury, Massachusetts.
When Mrs. Victor was thirteen years of age her par-
ents moved to Wooster, Ohio, and her education was re-
ceived at a young ladies' seminary at that place. From
an early age she took to literature and when but fourteen
years old wrote both prose and verses for the county
papers. A little later the Cleveland Herald paid for her
poems, some of which were copied in English journals.
Mrs. Victor's younger sister, Metta, who subsequently
430 WILLIAM A. MORRIS.
married a Victor, a brother of Frances' husband, was also
a writer of marked ability. Between the two a devoted
attachment existed, and in those days the two ranked
with Alice and Phoebe Carey, the four being referred to
as Ohio's boasted quartet of sister poets. The Fuller
sisters contributed verses to the Home Journal, of New
York City, of which N. P. Willis and George P. Morris
were then the editors. Metta was known as the "Singing
Sybil.' In eulogy of the two sisters, N. P. Willis at this
time writes concerning them :
One in spirit and equal in genius, these most interesting and bril-
liant ladies — both still in earliest youth — are undoubtedly destined to
occupy a very distinguished and permanent place among the native
authors of this land.
In her young womanhood Frances spent a year in New
York City amid helpful literary associations. Being
urged by their friends, the two sisters published together
a volume of their girlhood poems in 1851. In the more
rigorous self-criticism of later years Mrs. Victor has often
called it a mistaken kindness which induced her friends
to advise the publication of these youthful productions ;
but in these verses is to be seen the true poetic principle,
and their earnestness is especially conspicuous.
Metta Fuller Victor, after her marriage, took up her
residence in New York City, and continued her literary
work both in prose and in verse until her death, a num-
ber of years ago. Frances' husband, Henry C. Victor,
was a naval engineer and was ordered to California in
1863. She accompanied him and for nearly two years
wrote for the San Francisco papers, her principal contri-
butions consisting of city editorials to. the Bulletin, and a
series of society articles under the nom de plume of Florence
Fane, which, we are told, by their humorous hits, elicited
much favorable comment.
About the close of the war Mr. Victor resigned his posi-
tion and came to Oregon, where his wife followed him in
HISTORIAN OP THE NORTHWEST. 431
1865. She has often told how, upon her first arrival in
this state, she recognized in the type both of the sturdy
pioneers of Oregon and of their institutions something
entirely new to her experience, and at once determined to
make a close study of Oregon. As she became acquainted
with many of the leading men of the state, and learned
more and more about it, she determined to write its his-
tory, and began to collect material for that purpose. In
doing this she performed a service of inestimable value
to the state, since our state builders were then nearly all
alive, and facts concerning the beginnings of the state
were well known to them, which, had it not been for Mrs.
Victor's efforts, would have been lost to posterity.
Her first book on the history of Oregon was "The River
of the West," a biography of Joseph L. Meek, which was
published in 1870. Many middle-aged Oregonians tell
what a delight came to them when in boyhood and girl-
hood days they read the stories of Rocky Mountain adven-
tures of the old trapper Meek, as recited by this woman
of culture and literary training, who herself had taken so
great an interest in them. The book was thumbed and
passed from hand to hand as long as it would hold to-
gether, and to-day scarcely a copy is to be obtained in
the Northwest. Mrs. Victor before her death prepared a
second edition for the press, and it is to be sincerely hoped
that the work will soon be republished. For, intensely
interesting as the "River of the West" is, the chief value
of the work does not lie in this fact, but rather in its value
to the historian. Meek belonged to the age before the
pioneers. It was the trapper and trader who explored the
wilds of the West and opened up the way for the immi-
grant. That historians are just beginning to work up the
history of the fur trade in the far West, the number of
books in that particular field published within a year
will testify; and such men, for instance, as Capt. H. M.
432 WILLIAM A. MORRIS.
Chittenden, who last year published his "History of the
American Fur Trade in the Far West," freely confess
their indebtedness to Mrs. Victor's "River of the West" for
much of their material ; and so the stories of the Rocky
Mountain bear killer, Meek, romantic though many of
them are, check with the stories given by other trappers
and traders and furnish data for an important period in
the history of the Northwest.
In 1872 was published Mrs. Victor's second book touch-
ing on the Northwest, "All Over Oregon and Washing-
ton.' This work, she tells us in the preface, was written
to supply a need existing because of the dearth of printed
information concerning these countries. It contained ob-
servations on the scenery, soil, climate, and resources of
the Northwestern part of the Union, together with an out-
line of its early history, remarks on its geology, botany,
and mineralogy and hints to immigrants and travelers.
The preface closes with the prophetic words :
The beautiful and favored region of the Northwest Coast is about
to assume a commercial importance which is sure to stimulate inquiry
concerning1 the matters herein treated of. I trust enough is contained
between the covers of this book to induce the very curious to come and
see. ,
Her devotion to the Northwest and her interest in it
could not be more clearly expressed than in the words
just quoted. Her interest in the subject led her at a later
date to revise "All Over Oregon and Washington,' and
to publish it again, this time under the title, "Atlantis
Arisen.'
In 1874 was published "Woman's War With Whisky,"
a pamphlet which she wrote in aid of the temperance
movement in Portland. Her husband was lost at sea in
November, 1875, and from this time on she devoted her-
self exclusively to literary pursuits. During her residence
in Oregon she had frequently written letters for the San
Francisco Bulletin and sketches for the Overland Monthly .
These stories, together with some poems, were published
in 1877 in a volume entitled "The New Penelope."
HISTORIAN OF THE NORTHWEST. 433
This last volume was printed by the Bancroft publish-
ing establishment in San Francisco. The Bancrofts were
an Ohio family of Mrs. Victor's early acquaintance, and
Hubert Howe Bancroft laid before her his plan for writ-
ing the history of the Pacific Slope, and asked her to
work on the part concerning Oregon. In 1878 she
entered the Bancroft library, taking with her a mass of
valuable material relating to Oregon history, which she
had collected in the days when she intended to publish
an Oregon history.
For eleven years, or until the completion of the Ban-
croft series, Mrs. Victor remained in this sei'vice. Here
she did the crowning work of her life. At least six of
the volumes which to-day pass as the works of Hubert
Howe Bancroft were written by her. These are the
''History of Oregon" in two volumes, the "History of
Washington, Idaho, and Montana," the "History of Ne-
vada, Colorado, and Wyoming, ' ' and the sixth and seventh
volumes of the "History of California.' These latter
two volumes cover the political history of California, and
were prepared at the special request of Mr. Bancroft,
though out of her regular line of work, for the reason
that he considered Mrs. Victor especially strong as a
writer on political subjects. Parts of the Bancroft "His-
tory of the Northwest Coast' :' and numerous biographies
throughout the series are also from her pen.
The style of writing in all of these histories is clear
and vivid, for Mrs. Victor had that most enviable of
gifts, the ability to put life into her writings. As a his-
torian she was careful, painstaking and conscientious.
Her judicial habit of thought is especially prominent, an
attitude toward things which she inherited in common
with her kinsman, Judge Walworth.
That her work was done well is fortunate for the people
of seven Northwest states. Her histories of six of them
were not only the first to be published, but the only
434 WILLIAM A. MORRIS.
histories in available form to-day. Her history of the
seventh, Oregon, was the first history of this State ever
printed which brought the account past the provisional
period and which took up the subject for thorough treat-
ment. The press reviews at the time the Oregon volumes
were published all united in their praise, and many, tak-
ing them to be the work of Hubert Howe Bancroft, pointed
out the superiority of this work over the previously pub-
lished volumes of the Bancroft series.
The commendation was richly deserved, for time and
time again Mrs. Victor has said that Oregon was her favor-
ite subject, and upon this history she lavished an untold
amount of care and labor.
After her return to Oregon she was employed by the
state in 1893 to complete her "History of the Early In-
dian Wars of Oregon," a volume which was published by
the State Printer the following year. She continued to
write for the OREGON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY up to the
time of her death. After a thirty years' study of the his-
tory of Oregon she stated her appreciation of the subject
in a letter to the Secretary of State,, in which she said
that the history of no state is richer in the material that
makes history interesting by combining the romantic and
the philosophic elements. No state has had its early
history better preserved or more clearly set forth, a result
for which in large measure Frances Fuller Victor is re-
sponsible, and for which the people of Oregon owe to her
a deep debt of gratitude. By her work on the history of
the entire region west of the Rocky Mountains she has
well earned the title once conferred upon her — the Clio of
the Northwest.
Mrs. Victor's last published work was a small volume
of poems printed in 1900, and selected from the many
metrical compositions which she had written for newspa-
pers and magazines through a period of sixty years. She
was an able writer of essays and possessed an insight into
the evolution of civilization and government rare, not only
for an author of her sex, but for any author. Combining
the qualities of poet, essayist, and historian, she occupied a
position without a peer in the annals of Western literature.
INDEX
VOL. Ill 1
TOPICAL INDEX.
A
PAGE
ABERNETHY, GOVERNOR GEO 31
Chosen governor of Oregon 69
Treasurer Oregon Printing Association 336, 342
ABRAMS, W. P 60
ABRAMS, C 63
ACROSS THE CONTINENT SEVENTY YEARS AGO —
Extracts from the Journal of John Ball. (Kate N. B. Powers) 82
ACKERMAN, J. H.—
Elected superintendent of public instruction 122
ADAMS, HENRY -
History of United States. (Quoted) 7
ADAMS, W. L.-
Oregon City Argus 356
Sketch of life 357
AGRICULTURE —
Beginnings of 11- 19
AINSWORTH, JOHN C.—
Director Oregon Central Railroad Company 326
ALLEN, SAMUEL -
Member Board Capitol Building Commissioners 38
ALLEN AND LA FOLLET 242
ALVORD, BRIGADIER GENERAL 138, 146, 154
"ALL OVER OREGON AND WASHINGTON." (Mrs. Victor) 432
APPLEGATE, JESSE -
Candidate for United States senator 108, 336
APPLEGATE, E. L.-
Ghosen presidential elector 112
APPERSON, LIEUTENANT 137, 145
ARGUS, THE OREGON CITY-
First Republican paper in Oregon 356
Consolidated with the Statesman 360
ARCHIVES OF OREGON, THE. (F. G. Young) 371
ASHLEY, - - 269
ASTOR, JOHN JACOB 8,9
The Astor enterprise 261
Legacy to the United States 263
438 TOPICAL INDEX.
ASTORIA - PAGE
Fort established at 9
ASTORIA, OREGON -
The Educational History of. (Alfred A. Cleveland) 21
ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR OREGON -
Office of, created 117
ATKINSON, DR. G. H -
Founder Tualatin Academy 287
AUSTRALIA —
Shores outlined 4
AUSTIN, R. D.-
Bought Oregon Weekly Times 862
AYERS, THOMAS 236
B
BAGLEY, REV. DANIEL 300
BAILEY, D. W.-
Elected district attorney 112
BAILEY, CAPTAIN 332
BAKER, FLORENCE E 394
BAKER, W. W 364
BAKER, FRANK C.—
Elected state printer 114,117
BALDWIN SHEEP AND LAND COMPANY 241
BALDWIN, DR 242
BALL, JOHN —
Early career i 82
First school in Oregon 100
First mention of sheep in Oregon 219
BANCROFT, HUBERT HOWE 433
BARLOW ROAD, The History of. (Mary Barlow) 71
BARLOW ROAD-
Charter for granted 79
Description of 79
Made toll road 80
Made a free road 80
Rechartered and made a toll road 80
BARLOW, SAMUEL KIMBROUGH 71,72,73,78,79,80, 81
BARLOW, SUSANA LEE 72
BARLOW, MARY-
History of the Barlow Road 71
BARLOW PARTY, THE -
Personnel of 72
TOPICAL INDEX. 439
BARNUM, E. M.— , PAGE
Director Salem Woolen Mills 225,249
General agent Willamette Woolen Factory ___ 251
BARRETT, W. N.—
Elected district attorney 118, 119
BARRY, CAPTAIN E 150
BEACH, D 47
BEAN, H. J.-
Elected district attorney 121
BEAN, R. S.-
Elected circuit judge 112, 114
Elected supreme judge 117, 120
BEAVER MONEY 29
BEERS, ALANSON 339
BEEBE, J. J 366
BEEZLY, JOSEPH 234
BELT, G. W - — 114
BELL, JOHN C 42, 66
BELLINGER, C. B 43, 55
BENNETT, A. 8.—
Defeated for congress 120
BENSON, H. L.-
Elected district attorney 118, 119
B ENT, 269
BENTLEY, S.—
Printer, Spectator 353
BENTON, 32
BERNON, LIEUTENANT 160
BERRY, A. M.—
First printer, Oregonian —364, 366
BIDDLE, CAPTAIN JAMES —
Extract from log and reports 310
BILYEU, W. R.-
Defeated for presidential elector 1 15
BINGHAM, GEORGE G.—
Elected district attorney
BIRD, J. H.-
Elected circuit judge
BLACK HILLS -
Why so called
BLACK, WILLIAM --<289' 'm
BLACKBURN, D. R. N.—
Elected attorney general
440 TOPICAL INDEX.
PAGE
BLAIN, REV. WILSON 1 353
Sketch of life 354
BLAKELY, MESSRS. TAYLOR AND-
Established Unipqua Gazette 341
BOISE, R. P 40, 47
Elected Capitol Building Commissioner 39, 40
Elected supreme judge 108
Elected circuit judge 112, 114,230
BONH AM, B. F 39, 40, 42, 43
Supreme judge 107
BONNEVILLE, CAPTAIN 265
BOONE, JOHN D.—
Treasurer Salem Woolen Mill 226,249
BOONE, MISS CHLOE 350
BOONE, COLONEL ALPHONSO 350
BO WEN, LIEUTENANT JOHN-
Adjutant expedition to Snake River 146
BOWLBY, 44, 45
BOYD, G. D. R 356
BRADSHAW, E. C.-
Representative 39
Senator 39
BRADSHAW, W. L.-
Elected circuit judge US
BRIDGER, 269
BRISTOW, E, L.-
Member Board Capitol Building Commissioners 38
BROOKS, JOHN P.-
Secretary Oregon Printing Association 336
Sketch of life 342
BROWN, A. H 43
Treasurer of Oregon 107
BROWN, MART V 43
State Printer 107
BROWN, GEO. M.-
Elected district attorney 119
BROWN, GRANDMA—
Recollections of, by Jane Kinney Smith 287
BROWN, CAPTAIN 290
BRUCE, JAMES —
Representative 38
"BULL BOAT"-
Description ot 88
BALLARD, FRANK -
Breeding farm of .. 240,241
TOPICAL INDEX. 441
PAGE
BURNETT, JOHN _________________________________________________________ 42, 43, 47,107
BURNETT, GEORGE H.-
Elected district attorney ________________________________________________ 40, 47,108
Elected circuit judge ____________ _ __________________________________________ 118
BURNETT, PETER H ___________________________________________________________ 335, 345
Letters of ________________ '_ ___________________________________________________ 404-420
BUSH, ASAHEL ____________________________________________________________ 357, 359, 360
BUTLER, N. L ___________________________________________________________________ 42
BUTLER, N. H.-
Defeated for congress ____________________________________________ - ----------- 113
BYARS. W. H.-
Elected state printer _______________________________________________________ 112
BYBEE, R. E _____________________________________________________________________ 42
C
CADY, LIEUTENANT COLONEL -
Command District of Oregon _____________________________________________ 131, 137
CALDWELL, RICHARD S.-
Adjutant First Oregon Cavalry ------------------------------------------- 132
CAMPBELL, T. F.—
Candidate for governor _____________________________________________________ 39
Candidate for United States senator -------------------------------------- 108
CAMPBELL, - - _____________________________________________________ 269
CAPLES, JOHN F.—
Elected district attorney ---------------------------------------------- H2
Re-elected district attorney ------------------------------------------------ 112
Chosen presidential elector ------------------------------------------------ 118, 121
CAPITOL BUILDING COMMISSIONERS -
Board of, organized ---------------------------- 38, 40
CARLYLE, PROFESSOR W. L --------- _ ------------------ — - 244
CARSON, J. C.-
Elected president of senate ------------------------
CARSON, -— ---------------------------- 269
CARTWRIGHT, JOHN C.-
Chosen presidential elector ---------------- ' -----
CARTWRIGHT, C. M --------------------- 241
CARTER, WM. B.-
Elected state printer ------- - ----
Death of- ____________________ - no
CARTER, E. V.-
Elected speaker of the house —
CARTER, WILLIAM DAVIS ------------ -361,362
CASTEEL, SERGEANT -
Party lost ______________________________________________
442 TOPICAL INDEX.
CATTLE - PAGE
Second drive from California 220
CAVALRY, THE FIRST OREGON. (Frances Fuller Victor) 123
Officers of 132
CHADWICK, S. F.-
Secretary of state 107
Acting governor 109, 236
Director east side railroad company 326
CHAMBERLAIN, GEO. E.-
Elected district attorney 113
Appointed attorney general 117
Elected attorney general 118
CHAPMAN, W. W 363, 364
CHANDLER, C. G.-
Prominent representative 38
CHENOWETH, F. A.-
Director east side railroad company 326
CHITTENDEN, CAPTAIN HIRAM M.-
Author "American Fur Trade in the Far West" 260
Biographical sketch of 269,432
" CIVILIAN, THE " 341
CLARK, REV. HARRY-
Founder Tualatin Academy 287. 291
CHOTEAU 269
CLARKE, S..A..* 360
Editor Oregonian 370
CLELAND, JOHN B.-
Appointed circuit judge 121
CLEETON, T. J.-
Elected district attorney 121
CLIFFORD, M. D.—
Elected district attorney 113
Re-elected 114
Elected circuit judge 117
Re-elected ., 118
COCHRAN, R. B.—
Senator 38
Elected president of senate 38
COCHRAN, ASSISTANT SURGEON 150
COFFIN AND THOMPSON 224
COFFIN, STEPHEN 363, 364
COGSWELL, JOHN ! 224
COOK, CAPTAIN . 4, 5, 6
COOK, A. J. & COMPANY -
Fictitious concern.. 317
TOPICAL INDEX. 443
COOKE, E. N.— PAGE
Director east side railroad company 325, 326
COLVIG, G. W.-
Senator 39
COLVIG, WM. M.-
Elected district attorney 114
Re-elected 115,117
"COLUMBIAN, THE"-
First newspaper north of Columbia River 365
COLWELL, N. W.-
Pri liter of Spectator 346
CONSER, JACOB -
Director east side railroad company 325
CONFLICTS FOR RANGE 237
CONNER, GENERAL 145
CONQUEST, THE-
Reviewof 427
CONDON, S. W.—
Elected district attorney 117, 118
COTTON, REV. WALTER 368
CORNELIUS, THOMAS R.-
Senator 38
Defeated for governor 114
Made colonel 131
Resigned office of colonel 137
Director Oregon Central Railroad Company 326
COUCH AND FLANDERS . 823
COUCH, JOHN H.-
Sketch of life 342
COUCH, JOHN* R.-
Director Oregon Printing Company 336
COURTNEY, H. F.-
Elected district attorney 121
COX, 264
CRAIG, DAVID W.-
Sketchof life 358,360
Appointed paymaster, United States army ; 370
CRANDALL, CLARK P.-
Editor Statesman 360
CROCKER, CHARLES 254
CROSBY AND SMITH . 356
CRONIN, EUGENE -
Awarded certificate of presidential elector 109
CULVER, C. P.-
Associate editor Spectator 356
444 TOPICAL INDEX.
PAGE
CUNNINGHAM, CHARLES 242
CURREY, CAPTAIN . 133,136
CURRY, GEORGE L.-
Editor Spectator 845
Sketch of life 349
Appointed secretary of the Territory ; later governor 350
Partner and coeditor Portland Daily Advertiser 350
Death of 350
D
DAY, E, F - 242
DAMON, JOHN F.-
Editor Oregonian 370
DAVIS AND FURBER 250
DAVIDSON, T. L 243
DAVIS, T. A.—
Senator 39
DAVENPORT, T. W 47
DAWNE, E. J 43
DART, ANSON-
Appointed superintendent Indian affnirs in Oregon 127
DEADY, JUDGE MATHEW P 79
Decides against east side railroad company 319, 322, 357
DIMMICK, G. W.-
Defeated for congress 40
DEVINE, JOHN 238
DENNISON, A. P 364
DEAN, E. H 1 241
DOUGLAS, 32, 47
DOLPH, J. N.-
Senator 38
Elected United States senator 112
Re-elected 115, 119
DOUTHITT, J. H 47
Director east side railroad company 326
DONALDSON, C. M.—
•
Candidate for congressman 122
Defeated 122
DORRIS, GEORGE B 42
DOYLE, R. L 367
DO WELL, B. F 45
DOCUMENTS -
Orders to Captain Biddle 310, 390
TOPICAL INDEX. 445
DREW, MAJOR C. 8.- PAGE
First Oregon Cavalry 132, 139
Exploring expedition 163
DRAIN, JOHN C.—
Represen tati ve 38
DRAKE, JOHN M.-
First Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
Captain HO, 151, 152
DRAKE, DANIEL 300
DRYER, THOMAS J.—
Editor Oregonian 33, 354
City editor California Courier 364
Sketch of life 364, 368, 369
Appointed commissioner to Sandwich Islands 320
DRYER, AARON AND LUCINDA 364
DUFUR, E. B.—
Representative 39
DUFUR -
Town of, rise and development of 233
DUNNE, D. M.-
Chosen presidential elector 118
DUNBAR, F. L-
Elected secretary of state ^_ 122
E
EAKIN, S. B 47
EAKIN, ROBERT 40
Elected circuit judge 120
EARHART, R. P.—
Elected secretary of state 110
Re-elected 112
EARLY. JUBAL '. 358
EARLY, EUPHEMIA 358
EAST INDIA COMPANY 6
EATON, LOREY 305
EATON, ELIZABETH 305
EBBARTS, 292
EDWARDS, P. L 16
EDWARDS, J. G 241,242
EDWARDS, B. S 359
EELLS, MESSRS. WALKER AND 333
EFFINGER, W. H.-
Defeated for presidential elector 115
446 TOPICAL INDEX.
ELECTION, STATE— PAGE
Of 1868 67
Of 1876 108
Congressional of, 1878 109
Of 1878 110
Of 1882 112-
Tickets, first in Oregon 361
ELKINS, JAMES 45
ELLIS, W. B.—
Elected district attorney 114
Re-elected ._ 115
Elected to congress 117
Re-elected 120
ELLIOT, S. G.-
Scheme for control Oregon Central Railroad 317,319, 321,326
ELLSWORTH, S.-
Director east side railroad company 326
ERMATINGER, F 329
EVARTS, WM. H.-
Lawyer for Holladay 322
EVARTS, HENRY H.—
Published Almanac for 1848.. 347
F
FAIR, CALIFORNIA STATE-
Of 1859- 154
FAIR, OREGON STATE 243
" FACTORY SCRIP " 253
FARNHAM, 269
FAY, JAMES D.-
Nominated for congress 42,45, 66
FENTON, WM. D.—
Political History of Oregon from 1865 to 1876 38
Candidate for United States representative 112, 315, 321, 323
FEE, JAMES A.-
Elected circuit judge 115
Re-elected 119
FIELDS, . —
Brought all-purpose sheep to Oregon
FIELDS. JOSEPH M 349
FIELDS, KATE 349
FITCH, C. W 43
District attorney 107
FITCH, CHAS. A.-
Candidate for office of state printer ' 122
TOPICAL INDEX. 447
PAGE
FITZPATRICK,
FLOYD, 32
FLEMING, JOHN —
Printer 337
Sketch of life 342
Editor Spectator 345,346,363,355
FLEISCHNER, L 342
FOISY, MEDARE G.-
Sketch of life _ . 331,332
Printer at Lapwai 331
FONTENELLE, . -
Fur trader 265, 269
FORD, TILMON 47
FORD, M. A 337
FORTS-
Location of, in Oregon and Washington in 1861 130
FORT UNION-
Capital American Fur Company 265
FOSTER, C. M 45, 46
FOX, PETER-
Second lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
FRANCHERE, ,. . 264
FRANCIS, SIMEON-
Editor Oregonian 370
"FREE PRESS, THE" 34, 349
FULLERTON, J. C.—
Elected circuit judge 118
FULTON, C. W.—
Chosen presidential elector 115
Elected president of the senate 118
FUR CONPANY, THE ENGLISH NORTHWEST 9
FUR COMPANY, THE GREAT AMERICAN 264
FUR TRADE-
Beginnings of, on Pacific Coast 4- 11
FUR TRADE IN THE FAR WEST-
The American-Review by Frances Fuller Victor 260
FUR TRADERS-
List of prominent 269
FURBER, DAVIS AND 250
FURSTE, EDWARD 368
448 TOPICAL INDEX.
G
PAGE
GAINS, ALBERT 72
GASTON, JOSEPH 24
The Oregon Central Railroad Company 315
Obtained from Congress grantof land for railroad through Oregon 315
Sent to Washington for second grant of land 325
Director Oregon Central Railroad Company 326
"GAZETTE, THE UMPQUA"-
First paper south of Salem 341
" GAZETTE, THE SEATTLE "-
First paper published in Seattle 367
GAYLEY, J. F 46
GALE, JOSEPH-
Cattle to Oregon 220, 221
GALLOWAY, WILLIAM —
Representative 39
GATES, N. H 43
GATES, PETER P 42
Sergeant-major Snake River expedition 146
GAULT, D. M. C 45
GEER, T. T.—
Elected speaker of house 117
Chosen presidential elector 121
Elected governor 122
GEER, R. C.
Imported Southdown sheep 224
GEARIN, JOHN M.
Representative 39
Elected district attorney 113
Defeated for congress 114
GEIGER, WM 294
GENTRY, N. H 244
GEORGE, M. C.
Senator 39
Political History of Oregon from 1876 to 1898, inclusive 107
Elected to congress 111
Re-elected 112
Appointed circuit j udge 1 12, 121
GIBBS, GOVERNOR 162,324
GIBBS, A. C.-
Editor Times 45, 46, 363
GILBERT, A. N.—
Representative 39
GILBERT. KRUMBEIN AND-
Plans for capitol building 38
TOPICAL INDEX. 449
PAGE
GILLIAM, COLONEL CORNELIUS _• 344
GLASER, WILLIAM 340
GOLD-
Discovery of, in California 20, 223
GOUDY, GEO. B 354,368
GOULD, A. 8.-
Editor Times 363
GOULD, GEORGE 300
GOODRICH, C. L.-
Bought Spectator 366
GRANT, ULYSSES S 454
GRAY, CAPTAIN ROBERT 6
GREEN, SAMUEL 327
GREGG, T. J.-
Elected speaker of the house 114
GRIFFIN, REV. JOHN A.—
Issued Oregon American and Evangelical Unionist 333
Sketch of life 335-336
GRISWOLD, W. C.—
Purchased woolen factory 259
GROVER, L. F.
Elected governor 39, 42, 43,44
Elected United States senator 108, 109
Resigned as governor 109
Term as senator expired 112
Director Salern Woolen Mill 225, 249, 256
GUNN, ELISHA TREAT 1 369
».
H
HALE, W. C.-
Elected circuit judge 118
HALL, EDWIN O 320
Takes printing press from Honolulu to Oregon 329
HAMILTON, J. W.—
Elected district attorney 112
Re-elected 113-115
Elected circuit judge 118
HAND, WILLIAM M 41
HANNA, H. K.
Elected district attorney 404
District attorney 107
Elected district attorney 108
Elected circuit judge 112
Re-elected - 118
450 TOPICAL INDEX.
HAMMER, SETH- PAGE
First Lieutenant, First Oregon Cavalry 132
HARDING, BENJAMIN F.-
Quartermaster First Oregon Cavalry 132
HARDING, E. J.-
Captain Company B, First Oregon Cavalry 132
HARDENBURG, LIEUTENANT 151
HARE, W. D 46
HARNEY, GENERAL -
Commander Department of Oregon 129, 130
HARRIS, F. S.-
Captain Company A, First Oregon Cavalry 132
HARRISON, BENJAMIN-
Carried Oregon for President 115
HARVEY, DANIEL -
Sheep in early '30s 220
HATHAWAY, BREV. MAJOR J. S ._ 123
HAWKINS, LIEUTENANT G. W 123, 124
HAYES, R. B.-
Presidentof United States 44, 109, 323
HAYDEN, SAMUEL L.—
Elected district attorney 121
HAZARD, S. H 40, 43
Elected district attorney + 108
Re-elected 110
HEATH, LUCIAN 230
HELM, GEORGE R 43
HEADRICKS, -— - 109
Brought sheep to Oregon 222
HEDGES, A. T.-
Director east side railroad company 326
HEMBREE, A. J 339
HENDERSON, 44
HENDERSON, J. H. D.-
Director east side railroad company 326
HENDR1CKS, THOMAS A , 44
HENRY, 269
HEPPNER, OREGON —
Rise and development of 233
HERMANN, BINGER-
Elected to congress 113
Re-elected 113, 115, 117
HERREN, WILLIAM J. . 236
TOPICAL INDEX. 451
HEWITT, H. H.- PAGE
Elected district attorney 115
Elected circuit judge 119
HEWISON, J. GRAHAM 235
HIBBEN, E. C.-
Editor Timed 863
HIGBY, W. B.-
Defeated for district attorney 40, 47
HILL, CAPTAIN B. H.-
Stationed at Astoria 123
Removed to Puget Sound 123
HILL, HENRY C 364
HILL, W. LAIR 47
Editor Daily Union 360
Editor Times 363
Editor Oregonian 370
HILLARD, GEORGE L.-
Extract from lecture 312
HIMBERT, JOHN 158, 159
HIMES, GEO. H.-
History of the Press of Oregon 1839-1870 327
HINES, H. K.-
Nominated and defeated for congress.: ^ 109
HINMAN, ALANSON —
Sent to Whitman Mission for printing press 333
HIRSCH, M 45
HIRSCH, SOL-
Senator 38
Elected president of senate 112
Candidate for United States senator 113
HIRSCH, EDWARD -
Elected State Treasurer 110
Re-elected 112
HISTORIAN OF THE NORTHWEST. (William A. Morris) 429
HOBART, CHARLES -
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
HOLDEN, HORACE -
Reminiscences of. (H. S. Lyman) 164
HOLM AN, JOSEPH —
Director Salem Woolen Mills 225, 227, 249, 333
HOLLADAY, BEN 25
Partner in A. J. Cook Co 319
Character of 321,326
HOLMES, W. H.-
Elected district attorney 112
VOL. Ill 2
452 TOPICAL INDEX.
HOLBROOK, ARMORY- PAGE
Editor Orojnn'xm 870
HOLTON, DAVID S. -
Assistant Surgeon First Oregon Cavalry 132
HOPKINS, JOHN W.-
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
HORTON, DEXTER 300
HOWARD, GENERAL 236
HUDSON BAY COMPANY 10, 29, 31,89, 97, 98
Use of its abandoned forts 126
Records not open 219, 263
HUDSON, W. P.-
Printer Spectator 346
Printed first almanac on Pacific Coast 346
HULL, JOSEPH 339
HUM ASON, O 47
HUME, W. T.-
Elected district attorney 118
Re-elected 119
HUMPHREY, N. B 46
HUNTINGTON, J. W. P 360
HURLEY, HARTWELL-
Elected circuit judge 119
Death of 120
HURSH, E. G 110
District attorney 112
HYDE, F. C.-
Elected district attorney 112
Re-elected 117, 118
I.
IDLEMAN, C. M.-
Elected attorney general 119
INDIANS-
Cayuse 123
Nez Perces 123
Shoshones 123
Rogue River and Umpqua, character of 127, 128
Rogue River, attack Major Kearney 128
Snake, expedition against 138
Nez Perces 139
Cay use, brush with 152
Nevada and Utah responsible for atrocities in Eastern Oregon 153
Skirmishes with 156-159
Nez Perces, owned cattle, sheep, and hogs 220
Cayuse, owned cattle, sheep, and hogs 220
Cay use, strife between, and herders 235
Piute raiders.. 236
TOPICAL INDEX. 453
INDIANS— CONTINUED— PAGE
Nez Perces, friendly to emigrants 278
Kaws, great beggars 278
Cayuse . 281
INDIAN WAR-
The Yakima 350
INGALLS, CAPTAIN RUFUS-
Superintendent erection Fort Vancouver ^ 126
INGRAHAM, CYRUS R._ 158
..
INTELLIGENCER, THE NATIONAL"—
Copy of letter in 311
"INTELLIGENCER1'—
Newspaper In Jacksonville, Oregon 341, 367
IRVING, WASHINGTON 262,264
IRWIN G. M.-
Chosen presidential elector 118
Elected superintendent of public instruction 119
ISON, L. B 40, 43
Elected district attorney 108
Re-electeil 110
Elected circuit judge 114
JACKSON, 269
JACOBS, ORANGE 45
JAYNE, A. A.-
Elected district attorney 119
Re-elected 121
JESSE, MARTIN 223,227
JEWETT, . -
Murder of 235
JEFFERSON, THOMAS 5, 8, 32
JEFFREY, J. A.-
Elected district attorney 120
JOHNSON, W. CAREY 46
JOHNSON, MRS. MARY-
Teacher Mrs. Brown's school 294
JOHNSON, J. W 42
JONES, JOHN PAUL _. 5
JONES AND ROCK WELL -
Imported thoroughbred merinos 224, 226
JORY, JAMES —
Reminiscences of 271
Family of 271
JORY. JR., JAMES -
Married to Sarah Budd 274
JORY, JOHN.. 285
454 TOPICAL INDEX.
PAGE
JORY, H. S 285
JORY, THOMAS , 286
JORY, WILLIAM 286
JUDSON, L. H . 333
K
KAPUS, WM.-
Chosen presidential elector 115
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132, 140
READY, W. P.-
Appointed state printer 110
Elected speaker of the house 113
Re-elected speaker 118
KEARNEY, MAJOR-
Battle with Indians 129
KELSEY, JOHN 45, 46
KELLY, JAMES K 66
Nominated for governor 42
United States senator 107, 108
Elected supreme judge — 110
KELLY, WM.—
Captain Company C, First Oregon Cavalry 132, 139
KELLY, HON. WM. D 349
KENDRICKS, CAPTAIN JOHN 6
KENT, T. B.—
Elected district attorney 112
Re-elected 112,113
KLIPPEL, HENRY -
Member Board Capitol Building Commissioners 38, 39, 43, 44
KING, WM. R.-
Candidate for governor 121
KING, COL. WM. M 357
KINNEY, ROBERT 258
Pioneer farmer and fruit grower 287,288 .
KINNEY, MARY STRONG 287, 295
KINNEY, SAMUEL 287
KINCAID, H. R 45
Elected secretary of state - 119
Candidate for office of secretary of state _122, 360
KNIGHTON, , 277
KOONTZ, .—
Drowned in Snake River___ 283
KRUMBEIN AND GILBERT —
Prepared plans for capitol building 38
TOPICAL INDEX. 455
LADD & BUSH— PAGE
Bankers 259
LA DOW, GEORGE A 43
LA FOLLETT, ALLEN AND 242
LAING AND VARNEY 236
LANE, GOVERNOR JOSEPH H 31,33
Arrival in Oregon 123, 341, 357
LANE, LAFAYETTE 40, 42, 43, 44, 66
United States representative from Oregon 107
Candidate for representative 108
LASWELL, W. B 42, 43, 44, 46
District attorney 107
LAUGHLIN, LEE —
Representative 39, 293
LEABO, KATHERINE 286
LEASE, JACOB P — 220
Brought sheep for Hudson Bay Company 221
LEASURE, JOHN C.-
Chosen presidential elector 113
LEE, HENRY A. G.—
Editor Spectator 343
Sketch ot life 343
LEEDS, W. H.-
Elected state printer H9
Re-elected 122
LEDYARD, JOHN 4, 5, 6, 8
LEGISLATURE OF OREGON -
Bribed by Holladay 321
Assembly of 1874 38
Fail to organize 121
LESLIE, REV. DAVID 333,339
LEWIS, ISAAC 364
LEWIS AND CLARK 8
History of Oregon begins with 261
LICHTENTHALER, D. W 46
LINCOLN, ABRAHAM- 32, 94
LINCOLN & HERNDON 359
LINDSAY, A 242
LISA, 269
LODGE, JAMES 368
LOGAN, DAVID- 41, 45
456 TOPICAL INDEX.
LONG, JOHN E.- PAGE
Director Oregon Printing Association 336, 338
LOOMIS, ELISHA-
Operator Mission Press 328
LORD, WILLIAM P.-
Elected to supreme court 111
Re-elected supreme judge 112
Elected governor 119, 121
LORD, CHAS. F.-
Elected district attorney 121
LORING, COL. W. W 124
LOVEJOY, A. L.-
Director east side railroad company 326, 339
LOWELL, S. A.-
Elected circuit judge 120
LOWNSDALE, DANIEL H.—
Bought site of Portland 353
LUCE, JOHN C.-
Candidate for governor 122
LUELLING, HENDERSON 18
LUELLING, SETH 282
LUGENBELL, MAJOR—
Established Fort Bois6 142
LYMAN, H. S.-
Candidate for superintendent of public instruction 122
Reminiscences of Horace Holden. adventures in the South Seas__^ 164
Reminiscences of James Jory 271
Daniel Knight Warren, narrative of 296
M
MADDOCK, FRANK 236
MAGONE, JOSEPH -
Elected captain emigrant train 276
Married 277,278
MALLORY, RUFUS 44-46, 66, 360
MARSH, S. H.-
School at Forest Grove 287
MARSHALL, JAMES —
Discoverer of gold in California 20
MASSACHUSETTS, THE-
United States steamship in Columbia River 123
MATTHIEU, F. X.-
Representatlve 39
MATTHEWS, WILLIAM J.—
Captain Company F, First Oregon Cavalry 133
TOPICAL INDEX. 457
MAURY, LIEUT. COL. R. F.— PAGE
First Oregon Cavalry 132
Against Snake Indians 188, 139
Expedition to Snake River country 141
MAXWELL, S. L 367
MAY, SAMUEL E 45, 66
MAYS, ROBERT -
Representative 39
McARTHUR, L. L.-
Elected j udge 40, 42, 43
Elected supreme judge 107, 108
Elected circuit judge 102
McARTHUR, CAPTAIN JOHN . A 224
McBRIDE, GEORGE W.
Elected speaker of the house 112
Elected Secretary of State 114,116
Elected United States senator 119
McBRIDE, T. A.-
Elected district attorney 113, 114
Re-elected 115, 117
Elected circuit judge 118
MCCAIN, JAMES-
Elected district attorney 118,119
MCCALL, JOHN M.-
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
McCARVER, M. M.—
Pioneer of 1843 348
McCLANE, J. B 333
McCONNELL, W. J. -
Elected president of senate ___ ^ 112
McCORMICK, S. J.-
Partner and coeditor Portland Daily Advertiser 350
MCDOWELL, GENERAL 154
MCELROY, E. B.—
Elected superintendent of public instruction 112
Re-elected 114
Superintendent of public instruction 117
MCELROY, T. F 355,356, 36
MCGINN, HENRY E.-
Elected district attorney 114
Re-elected 115
Appointed circuit judge 120
McKINLEY, A 121,226
McKIRCHER, F.-
Defeated for Congress 120
458 TOPICAL INDEX.
MCLEAN, ROBERT- PAGE
Chosen presidential elector 115
McLEOD, DONALD 243
McLOUGHLIN, DR. JOHN 99, 221,264
MCPHERSON, w. A 45, 66, 360
MEACHAM, A. B 45,46
MEASLES -
Fatal to emigrants 283
MEEK, JOSEPH 90, 292, 338, 431
MEIGS, C. R 45
MERCER, THOMAS-
Early enthusiast for Oregon 299
MERCER PARTY OF IMMIGRANTS -
Personnel of _ 300
METSCHAN, PHIL 117
Etected state treasurer 119
MILLER, JOHN F.—
President Board Capitol Building Commissioners 38, 256, 257
MILLER, ROBERT A.-
Defeated for congress 115
MILLER, JOAQUIN 157
MILLER, C. H 157
MILLER, JOHN H.—
Director east side railroad company , 325
MILLER, JAMES F 256
MILLER, HENRY-
Editor Oregonian 370
MINTO, JOHN-
"Sheep Husbandry in Oregon" 219
Agreement with Joseph Holden 227
" MISSION PRESS, THE "-
First printing press on Pacific Coast or tributary islands 327
MITCHELL, HON. JOHN H 41,107,110,113
Re-elected United States senator 117, 122
MOFFATT, WALTER 324
MOORE, F. A.-
Elected supreme judge 118
Re-elected supreme judge 122
MOORE, ROBERT -
Bought Spectator 354
MOORE, CHARLES S.-
Elected State Treasurer.. 122
TOPICAL INDEX. 459
MOORES, I. R.- PAGE
Director east side railroad company 325
MOORES, CHAS. B.-
Elected speaker of the house 119
MOORES, JOHN H.-
Director east side railroad company 325
MOODY, Z. F.-
Elected speaker of house 112
Elected governor 112, 113
MOODY, M. A.-
Elected to congress 122
MONEY-
Different kinds of. 29
MONROE, JAMES 32
MONROE, LIEUTENANT-
First Washington Infantry 136, 137
MORELAND, J. C 47
MORGAN, WILLIAM 360
MORRIS, ROBERT 5
MORRIS, GEORGE P 429
MORRIS, WILLIAM A.-
" Historian of the Northwest " — 429
MOSHER, L. F.-
Nominated for judge 42, 43
MOSS, S. W 344
MULKEY, M. F 45
MULKEY, JOHNSON-
Brought sheep to Oregon , 222
MYERS, JOHN-
Senator 38,39
Defeated for congress 113
MYERS, JEFFERSON—
Defeated for congress 120
N
NEIL, J. R - 42, 43
Elected district attorney 110
NELSON, 277
NESMITH, HON. J. W 39, 42
Candidate United States senator 108, 220
Vice president Oregon Printing Association 336
Sketch of life -341, 360, 361
NEWBY, JAMES B.-
Suit with east side railroad company 318
460 TOPICAL INDEX.
NEWBY, WM. T.- PAGE
Director Oregon Central Railroad Company 326
NEWELL, ROBERT—
Director Oregon Printing Association 336
Sketch of life 342
NEWS LETTER, THE-
First newspaper in United States 327
NIXON, DR. OLIVER..-' 362
NORTHRUP, H. H.-
Defeated for congress 120
NORTHWEST COMPANY-
Astoria's connection with-, 262
o
ODELL, W. H 44, 47
Chosen presidential elector. 109
Elected state printer 111
ODELL, J. A 45
O'FALLON, COL. JOHN 273
OGLESBY, M. M 47
OHIO STATESMAN—
Extract fronl . 390
OLMSTEAD, M. L.—
Elected circuit judge 113
O'MEARA, JAMES-
Nominated for state printer 42, 58, 66
OREGON—
Officers of, beginning 1876 107
OREGON -
Political history of, from 1865 to 1876, by Win. D. Fenton 38
OREGON-
Political history of, from 1876 to 1898, inclusive, by M. C. George 107
OREGON RAILWAY AND NAVIGATION COMPANY 26
OREGON—
Entitled to two representatives 117
OREGON RIFLEMEN-
Deserters from 125
Removed to California^ , 128
OREGON CENTRAL RAILROAD 25
OREGON AND CALIFORNIA RAILROAD 26
"OREGON INSTITUTE, THE" 36
"OREGON AMERICAN AND EVANGELICAL UNIONIST, THE "-
Extract from_. 333
TOPICAL INDEX. 461
OREGON PRINTING ASSOCIATION- PAGE
Organized 330
"OREGON SPECTATOR " 34
First issue 337, 338-341
"OREGON SENTINEL "-
Formerly Table Rock Gazette 341
"OREGON FREE PRESS, THE"—
Early copy of 350
OREGON CITY WOOLEN MILL 257
"OREGONIAN, THE"—
Establishment of 33, 34
Interview with Professor Carlyle 244
Description of ground breaking Oregon Central Railroad 324
Announcement of 354, 357, 363, 364
First issue of daily 370
P
PACIFIC FUR COMPANY 9
PALMER, GEN. JOEL 45
PARKER, JAMES 327
PARRISH, CHAS. W.-
Elected district attorney 121
PARRISH, J. L 227
PARRISH, REV. E. E.-
Oregon pioneer 276
PARRISH, S. B.-
Director east side railroad company 1 326
PATTERSON, THOMAS 42
PATTON, R.-
Brought sheep to Oregon 222
PATTON, T. McF.-
Director east side railroad company 325
PEALE, .-
Naturalist Wilke's expedition ' 245
PENNOYER, 8YLVESTER-
Elected governor of Oregon 114
Re-elected governor 116
PENDLETON, GEORGE H 42
Defeated for president 51
PEPOON, LIEUTENANT SILAS -
Assistant quartermaster Snake River expedition 146
PERRY, COMMODORE 23
PETTYGROVE, FRANCIS W 338, 340, 353
462 TOPICAL INDEX.
PIERCE, NATHAN- PAGE
Chosen presidential elector 118
PIERCE, PRESIDENT 350
PIKE, MRS. AMANDA 297
PIKE, JOHN 300
PILCHER, - -.-
Fur trader 265, 209
PIPER, W. G.-
Elected district attorney 112
"PIONEER, THE WASHINGTON" 366
"PIONEER AND DEMOCRAT, THE" 366
PITTOCK, HENRY L 369, 370
PLYMALE, W. J.-
Representative 39
POLITICAL PLATFORMS 109, 111, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121
POE, A. M. . 367
POLK, JAMES K : . 32
PORTER, DAVID W.-
Quartermaster First Oregon Cavalry 132
PORTER, MRS. ROBERT 293
"PORTLAND DAILY ADVERTISER"—
Started - 350
"PORTLAND DAILY NEWS "-
First daily paper in Oregon 350
POWELL, L. J J10
POWELL, J. C 45
PRATT, L. E.—
Manuscript history first woolen mill 225
PRATT, - — _'_ 269
PRATT, JUDGE O. C 357,359
PRESS OF OREGON, 1839-1850-
History of the, by George H. Himes 327
"PRESS, THE FREE" 34, 349
" PRESS, THE " 367
PRIM, P. P 42,43
Supreme judge _ 107
Elected circuit judge 110
PRINTING AND PUBLISHING COMPANY, THE OREGON 360
PUGET SOUND AGRICULTURAL COMPANY-
Formed 14
Purchase sheep 220
Playing for empire 221
TOPICAL INDEX. 463
PUTNAM, MRS. ROZETTE- PAGE
First woman typesetter on Paci lie Coast 336
PUTNAM, CHARLES F.-
Printer 334
Sketch of life- 336
Q
QUINN, MARTIN -
Defeated for congress „ 120
R
RAE, WILLIAM GLENN 221
Charge Hudson Bay Company in California 222
RAILROADS -
Development of 26, 27
RAILROAD, THE OREGON CENTRAL. (Joseph Gaston) 315
RAILROAD COMPANY, THE OREGON CENTRAL -
Incorporated by Joseph Gaston 316
Articles filed for second company of same name 317
RAILROAD COMPANY, THE OREGON AND CALIFORNIA —
Incorporated 319,323
RAMSAY, WILLIAM M 40,43
Candidate for supreme judge 122
RAND, J. L.-
Elected district attorney 115
RAND, JOHN C.-
Elected district attorney 119
RAYMOND, W. W - 291
RECTOR, WILLIAM H 73-75, 79
Director Salem Woolen Mill 225
Sent East for machinery 226,249,257
"RECORD, THE SALEM" 362
REED, J. H 42
REED, ADJUTANT GENERAL CYRUS A 134
Report to Governor Gibbs 162
RICHARDSON, DR. JAMES A.-
Senator 38
RIDDLE, G. W.-
Representative 38
RIFLE REGIMENT, THE MOUNTED -
Arrival in Oregon 124
RINEARSON, JR., MAJOR J. Q,.—
First Oregon Cavalry ^ 132
464 TOPICAL INDEX.
RINEHART, WILLIAM V.- PAGE
First Liutenarit First Oregon Cavalry 132
With Snake River expedition 146,150, 152
RISDON, D. M 45
RIVER OF THE WEST, THE-
Biography of Meek 431
ROBERTS, CORNELIUS 330
ROBERTSON, JAMES R-
The Social Evolution of Oregon 1
The Oregon Central Railroad 315,321.323, 333
ROBINSON, JESSE -
First Lieutenent First Oregon Cavalry 132
ROCKWELL, JONES AND-
Imported thoroughbred merino sheep 224
ROGERS, CORNELIUS -
Teacher in mission 830
ROSS, JOHN E.—
Director east side railroad company 326
ROSSNAGLE, JAMES 300
ROWLAND, L. L 46
Superintendent of public instruction 107
"RURAL NORTHWEST, THE"-
Extract from.. 239
s
SALEM -
Selected for site state capital , . 38
SARPY, 269
SAXTON, CHARLES —
Printer at Lapwai 331
SEARS, JR., JUDGE ALFRED F.—
Elected circuit judge 120
SEMPLE. R 368
"SENTINEL, THE TABLE ROCK" 341
SCHAFER, PROF. JOSEPH 390
Criticisms of Wilke's Narrative 404
SCHNEBLY, D. J.-
Editor Spectator 355
Owner Spectator 356
SCHOOL, MRS. BROWN'S-
List of scholars 292
SCOTT, H. W.-
Editor Oregonian 370
TOPICAL INDEX. 465
SHANE, CARLOS W.- PAGE
Bookbinder 348
Death of 349
SHATTUCK, E. D 47
Supreme judge 107
Elected circuit judge •_ 114, 118
SHAW, JOSHUA, AND SON 43
Brought first sheep across the plains 222
SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN OREGON. (John Minto) 219
SHEEP HUSBANDRY -
Era of expansion from the Cascade to the Rocky Mountains 230
Influence of on human character 245
Sheep east of Cascades, first venture unsuccessful 230
SHIPLEY, HENRY—
Editor Times ^ 363
SHIPWRECK ON A TROPICAL ISLAND 167
SHOUDY, WILLIAM 300
SIMON, JOSEPH -
Elected president of senate 115, 117, 119, 122
Elected United States senator 122
SIMPSON, BENJAMIN 360
SIMPSON, SYLVESTER C : 360
SIMFSON, SAMUEL L 360
SIMPSON, GEORGE -
Head of Hudson Bay Company 264
SKIPWORTH, E. R.-
Defeated for presidential elector 115
SMALL, CAPTAIN H. E.—
Company G, First Oregon Cavalry 162
SLATER, JAMES H 42
Elected United States senator 110
Term expired 113
Defeated for congress 117
SMITH, GENERAL PERSIFER F.-
Commander Pacific Division 125
SMITH, HIRAM —
Brought sheep to Oregon 223
SMITH, C. W 356
SMITH, JANE KINNEY —
Recollections of Grandma Brown 287
SMITH, A. T 292
SMITH, MAT K.-
Editor Columbian— '. 366
466 TOPICAL INDEX.
SMITH, SENECA- PAGE
Appointed circuit judge 113
Elected circuit judge 115
SMITH, GREENBURY-
Director east side railroad company 326
SMITH, REV. A. B. AND WIFE 330
SMITH, E. L.-
Elected speaker of house 115
Chosen presidential elector 121
SMITH, JOSEPH 41, 42, 256
Manager Willamette Woolen Factory 259, 362
SMITH, W. K 256
SMITH, ANDREW 339
SPECTATOR, THE OREGON 20, 34, 343
Enlarged 351
Suspended 353
Permanently suspended 356
SPELLING BOOK-
Account of first published in Oregon 347
SPALDING, REV. H. H 289
STANTON, ALFRED -
Vice president Salem Woolen Mills 225, 249
STAPLETON, H.-
Elected Capitol Building Commissioner 39
"STAR, THE WESTERN" 61
Moved to Portland— ___ 362
STARK, BENJAMIN-
Sent Cotswold sheep to Oregon 224, 345
"STATESMAN, THE" 31, 354
Consolidated with Argus 360
Merged into Unionist 360
Name again adopted for Unionist 360
STEARNS, D. W.-
Representative__ 39
STEARNS, L. B.—
Elected circuit judge 114, 118
Resigned 121
STEELE, JAMES L.-
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
STEINBERGER, COLONEL JUSTIN -
Commander Fort Walla Walla 137
STEPHENS, T. A.-
Eiected district attorney 117
Elected circuit judge 119
Death of— 121
TOPICAL INDEX. 467
STEWART, CAPTAIN JAMES = PAGE
Killed by Indians 129
STEWART, J. T . 359
STEWART, PETER G ____339, 349
STOCKWELL, A. W. 354
STORY, J. L.-
Candidate for attorney general 12*2
STOTT, RALEIGH-
Representative : 39, 40, 47
Elected district attorney 108
Elected circuit judge 112
Resigned 113
ST. VRAIN, - -. . 269
STRAHAN, R. S 42
Elected supreme judge 114
STRONG, F. R 40,43
SULLIVAN, P. C 45
SUTTER, - - „ 20
SITBLETTE, - - 269
SWAMP LAND LAW PASSED ^ 238
T
"TABLE ROCK SENTINEL"—
Formerly Umpqua Gazette 341
TAPPAN, W. H 356
TAYLOR, F. J.-
Elected circuit judge 114
TAYLOR, T. C.-
Elected president of senate 122
TAYLOR AND BLAKELY-
Established Umpqua Gazette 341
TERRY, CHESTER N _ 360
THAYER, A. J 42, 46
THAYER, W. W.-
Elected governor 110
Elected supreme judge 113
THOMPSON, H. Y . 47
District attorney 107
THOMPSON, JOHN M 40, 44
Elected speaker of house 110
THOMPSON, D. P.—
Chosen presidential elector 113
Defeated for governor 116
First Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
VOL. Ill 3
468 TOPICAL INDEX.
THOMPSON, LEWIS- PAGE
Teacher 294
TILDEN, SAMUEL J 44. 109
TIMES, THE OREGON WEEKLY -
Formerly the Star 362
Suspended 363,367
TOLMAN, J. C.—
Defeated for governor 39, 46
TOLMIE, DR. W- F.-
Extractfrom letter of 2J9
Placed at Fort Nesqually 221, 223
TONGUE, THOMAS H.—
Elected congressman 120, 122
TRAVERS, JOHN 340
TREAT, S. H 359
TRIMBLE, W. F 42
«
TRUAX, S.—
Captain Company D, First Oregon Cavalry 132
TRUITT, WARREN —
Chosen presidential elector 113
TUCKER, MAJOR S. S.—
Commander at The Dalles 126
TULLOCK, .—
Fur trader 269
TURPIN, WM.—
Brought sheep to Oregon i 222
TURNER, .—
Printer . 331
T'VAULT, W. G 42
President Oregon Printing Association 336
First editor Oregon Spectator 337, 840
Sketch of life and character 341
Postmaster general provisional government 343
/
u
UNDERWOOD, D. C.—
Second Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
UNDERWOOD, J. B.-
Director Oregon Central Railroad Company 326
UPTON, W. W 45
V
VANCOUVER -
Site of, leased from Hudson Bay Company 126
•
VANDERBURG, . —
Fur trader.. 269
TOPICAL INDEX. 469
VANDERBURG, W. 8.- PAGE
Defeated for congress 120
VAN HOUTEN, J. P 241
VAN HOUTEN BROS 241
VEATCH, R. M.-
Defeated for congress 117
Candidate for congressman 111
Defeated for congress 122
VICTOR, FRANCES FULLER -
The First Oregon Cavalry 123
The American Fur Trade in the Far West 260,429
List of works 433
VICTOR, META FULLER.. 430
•
VICTOR, HENRY C 430
VILLARD, HENRY 26
VINTON, MAJOR H. D 126
W
WAIT, AARON E 351
Editor of Spectator 352, 353
WAITE, E. M 46
WALDO, JOHN B.-
Elected to supreme court 111
WALDO, WILLIAM -
Elected president of senate 113
WALDO, DANIEL 222
Chief financial support of Salem Woolen Mill 226,250,257,259
WALKER, . —
Mountain man 292
WALKER, REV. ELKANAH___. ! 292
WALKER AND EELLS 333
WALKER, 269,292
WALKER, CAPTAIN GEORGE r
WALTERS, LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES 344
WALTON, W. N.-
Editor Times 362, 363
WALTON, J. J 47
WALWORTH, RUBEN H 433
WALWORTH, LUCY 429
WARREN, DANIEL KNIGHT 296
Reminiscences of, by H. S. Lyman 296
Biographical sketch of 297
Notes from iournal of 301,805
470 TOPICAL INDEX.
WARREN, HENRY— . PAGE
Defeated for congress 40
WARREN, GENERAL JOSEPH J 297
WARREN, P. C _• 297, 302
WARREN, FRANK 302
WARREN, GEORGE , .302,307
WARREN, D. K 297
WARREN AND McGUIRE _. 306
( .
WATERMAN, JOHN ORVIS 357, 361
Elected probate judge of Multnomah County ,__ 362
WATKINS, WILLIAM H. •
Surgeon First Oregon Cavalry^ _• _ 132
WATERS, LIEUTENANT COLONEL JAMES 344
WATT, JOSEPH 23, 44, 47
Brought merino sheep to Oregon , 222
Director Salem Woolen Mill 225
Plan for woolen factory 225
Constructed mill and canal at Salem 226, 230
Originator wool growing and wool manufacturing in Oregon__248, 249, 250,251
WATT, A. S.—
Senator 39
Appointed general agent Willamette Woolen Factory 251
WATTS, J. W - - 44
Chosen presidential elector 109
WATTS, 277
WATSON, J. F 38,45, 47
Elected supreme judge :_ 108
Elected circuit judge 112
WATSON, T. D 356
WATSON, J. R " 367
WATSON, E. B 45
Elected supreme judge 111
WATSON, C. B 40,47
Chosen presidential elector 112
WAYMIRE, FRED 134
WAYMIRE, JAMES A 134
Fight with Indians 155, 156, 157
Battle with Indians 159
WEATHERFORD, J. K.-
Elected speaker of house 39, 108
WEBB, G. W.-
Elected state treasurer 114
WEBSTER, L. R.-
Elected circuit judge 113, 114
TOPICAL INDEX. 471
PAGE
WELCH, DR. WILLIAM 71
WEST, REV. W. F 300
WEST, ASHBY 300
WHEELER, WILLIAM H.-
Vice president of United States 109, 44
WHITCOMB, LOT-
Issued Western Star- 361
Founder of Milwaukie, Oregon 361
WHITEAKER, JOHN-
Elected president of senate 39, 108
Elected to congress 109
Elected president of the senate 110
Defeated for congress 111, 130
WHITE, DR. ELIJAH 3(51
WHITE, FRANK B.-
First Lieutenant First Oregon Cavalry 132
WHITMAN, DR. MARCUS 220, 281, 292, 329, &30, 333, 334
WHITNEY, G. N . 41
WHITNEY, J. J 43
District attorney 107
Elected district attorney : 110
WRITTEN, B 46
WILEY, J. W 365, 366, 368
WILKES, CAPTAIN GEORGE 345
WILKES, GEORGE -
History of Oregon, extracts from 400
Criticism Wilkes' Narratives 400-404
WILKINS, 292
WILLIAMS, GEORGE H. -
President Salem Woolen Mills 225, 249, 360
WILLIAMS, RICHARD 44, 47
Elected United States representative 108
WILLIAMS, VEATCH 429
WILLIAMS, J. H.-
United States consul at Sydney, N. S. W 224
WILLIAMS, . —
Fur trader 269
WILLIAMSON, J. N 246
WILLIS, N. P 430
WILLAMETTE CATTLE COMPANY -
Organized • 16
WILLAMETTE WOOLEN FACTORY -
Oregon and history of, by L. E. Pratt 248
472 TOPICAL INDEX.
PAGE
WINSHIP, NATHAN . 8
WINTHROP, THEODORE 148
WIISON, DR. 277, 333
WILSON, SAMUEL 361
WILSON, W. H.-
Elected district attorney 117,118
WILSON, JOSEPH G 45, 46
Secretary Salem Woolen Mills 226, 253
WILSON, JOSEPH D 249
WOODS, GEORGE L 45, 66
Director east side railroad company 325
WOOD, TALMADGE B.-
Letterof 394
WOLVERTON, C. E.—
Elected supreme judge 119
WOOL GROWERS, ASSOCIATION -
Summary meeting 246
WRIGHT, COLONEL 130
Commander district Oregon and Washington 130
Requisition for cavalry 130
Made brigadier general 131
Transferred to California 131
Replaced troops with volunteer companies from California 131, 136
WYETH, N. J 219,265, 269
WYTHECOMBE, DR. JAMES —
Oregon experiment station 245
i
.
Y
YATES, W. E.-
Elected district attorney 120
YORAN, S. M.-
Chosen presidential elector : 121
YOUNG, EWING 16, 339
z
ZACHARY, MRS _ 293
F Oregon historical quarterly
871
047
PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American Libraries
TV News
Understanding 9/11